Trust in Me
by Kilmeny
Summary: A mysterious girl joins Trowa's circus. Soon they are caught up in a game of trust in which her past threatens to catch up with her. Finished!
1. Default Chapter

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Trust in Me – Prologue and Chapter One 

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs belong to their respective artists.

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Summary: Three years after Endless Waltz, a girl named Averil with a mysterious past joins Trowa's circus. The two struggle with trusting one another within the bonds of a fragile friendship. Trowa becomes Averil's protector and helps her to face her past and right old wrongs.

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Dedicated to: Lucy Maud Montgomery, the queen of romance—clean, sweet romance. She is an awesome author, and I've learned a lot from her. Read her stories, especially the _Anne of Green Gables_ series, the _Emily of New Moon_ series, and of course, _Kilmeny of the Orchard _(Bonus! It's only 90 pages)!

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Author's Notes for the Whole Story:

Hey everyone! This is the first fanfiction that I have ever posted. There are a few things that you might want to know before you read this. First of all, I may have assumed that you know most of the characters enough that I don't have to go too in depth on their personalities. What I did was try to make everything they say and do reflect their character. If they do go out of character, I apologize, because I know how annoying that can be. The reason they would is either because I interpret them differently than you, I'm a beginning writer, or because, since I haven't seen the whole series yet, that I modeled them more after their stereotypes in the fanfiction world than what they're truly like on the show. In any case, I tried my best to keep all details accurate, etc. And sorry if my own characters aren't very well developed. I know I have a long way to go as a writer. This is only a hobby though, just a way for me to express myself. I'll warn you now that I am a huge romantic, and that's just about all that I'm inspired to write. So this story is probably a lot more sappy and happy than Gundam Wing really is, but I thought it would be nice for a change since a lot of what I see out there is brimming with angst. I basically assume that three years after the war, the pilots, for the most part, have overcome a lot of their social and emotional problems. I think that's enough time for them to heal enough to function without every other thought being about how their hands are so bloodstained or whatnot. But anyway, I don't mean any offense to those of you who love to write angst. I honestly think that's the hardest type of fanfiction to write, so you deserve respect.

I also use some things relating to horse racing and gambling-which I really don't know a thing about. I did research it though, so I tried, but I probably sound like an idiot. However, it is my story and however I set up the horse racing/gambling scene is how it is done in my Gundam Wing universe. Just to tell you now so there's no confusion, my character Xavier Kraten is what you would call a "bookie," a person who owns their own betting business and takes people's bets. 

I chose the name Averil for my main character from _Anne of Avonlea_. Anne writes a story called "Averil's Atonement"-a romance probably just as pathetic as mine! Anyway, I looked up the name later in a baby name book just to see what it meant, and there was a coincidence. There are two meanings for Averil: one is "April" and the other is "Warrior Boar" or something like that. I just thought it was interesting that Trowa's love interest's name would mean warrior. It's kind of like the meaning of Hilde's name-"Battle Maiden." There is also a very minor character who I chose the name Hachi for because in Japanese it means both "eight" and "lucky one." "Lucky One" applies to her role and using a number name follows with the Gundam tradition.

Also, there are a few songs and quotes I'll put in here randomly that I think tie in with the story. This is not a songfic because the songs do not split up the text. I picked the songs because they helped inspire me to write what I did, and of course you can skip over them if you want to. I love to pick out songs whose lyrics totally fit the couple. For instance, if you're a Heero and Relena fan, check out the lyrics to "Last Flight Out," by Plus One. They fit those two so well! At least the way I imagine them. I'm actually using that song in this story for Trowa and Averil, because it works. Oh, and you'll just have to guess the point of view for who the song is meant for. For instance, a song by a female artist may actually be from Trowa's point of view in the story, vice-versa. Sometimes it may be both POVs. 

My section break, //_- is supposed to be Trowa. Can you see the hair over one eye and his classic pose-leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed, face emotionless? I saw someone use it once to represent Trowa and I thought it was so cute! So I'll be using it, thank you.

And finally, I have one more thing to say. Thank you so much Marcie for your help on this story. I really appreciate it! On with the story! Enjoy everyone!

//_-

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Prologue

After the wars, Trowa returned to a normal life. Well, as normal as a circus performer's life can be. He kept mostly to himself, as most introverts do. He didn't think that there was anything missing, or that there was anything else he needed. He had his sister, he had his friends, and he had a job that made him happy. What more could he want?

If he was ever lonely, he dismissed it as something that all people normally feel. He didn't think there was really anything he could do about it. Yet there was someone about to enter his life who would change his thoughts about that, irrevocably. 

//_-

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Sometimes

By Britney Spears

You tell me you're in love with me  
Like you can't take your pretty eyes away from me  
It's not that I don't want to stay  
But every time you come too close I move away

I wanna believe in everything that you say  
'Cause it sounds so good  
But if you really want me, move slow   
There's things about me you just have to know

Sometimes I run  
Sometimes I hide  
Sometimes I'm scared of you  
But all I really want is to hold you tight  
Treat you right, be with you day and night  
Baby all I need is time

I don't wanna be so shy, un-uh   
Every time that I'm alone I wonder why  
Hope that you will wait for me  
You'll see that you're the only one for me

I wanna believe in everything that you say  
'Cause it sounds so good  
But if you really want me, move slow  
There's things about me you just have to know

Sometimes I run   
Sometimes I hide  
Sometimes I'm scared of you  
But all I really want is to hold you tight  
Treat you right, be with you day and night  
All I really want is to hold you tight

Treat you right, be with you day and night

Baby all I need is time

Just hang around and you'll see  
There's nowhere I'd rather be  
If you love me, trust in me  
The way that I trust in you

Sometimes I run

Sometimes I hide

Sometimes I'm scared of you

But all I really want is to hold you tight

Treat you right, be with you day and night

Sometimes I run

Sometimes I hide

Sometimes I'm scared of you

But all I really want is to hold you tight

Treat you right, be with you day and night

All I really want is to hold you tight

Be with you day and night

Sometimes I run

Sometimes I hide

Sometimes I'm scared of you

But all I really want is to hold you tight

//_-

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Chapter One

A contented and loud purr grumbled in the throat of a huge lion as Trowa caressed his mane and murmured promises of treats for later. The lion merely yawned and rolled closer to the bars for a better scratch. Trowa turned his head at the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Trowa," Catherine called out.

Trowa gave the lion one last pat through the cage before turning and slowly standing. His observant eyes scanned over a girl beside Catherine. She was petite, with flaming red hair that cascaded in glistening curls and waves down her back. Her skin was a delicate "peaches 'n' cream" complexion, soft and smooth. Her eyes were captivating; the large and luminous gray-violet orbs gazed shyly at him under thick, dark lashes. A feeling flitted through him, one of attraction; one he hadn't felt much before. He shifted slightly and said nothing. 

"Trowa, this is Averil O'Hare. She has been hired on to the circus as our new horse trainer." Catherine turned to Averil and smiled, "Averil, this is my brother Trowa Barton, an acrobat and a clown. He can show you where to stable your horse, because I have dinner duty tonight. Oh, and Trowa, give her horse Pixie's old stable, 'kay?" Trowa nodded and watched her leave. Then his eyes traveled back to Averil, who held her horse's reigns loosely in her long, slender fingers.

She stepped forward a little nervously. "How long has the circus been in this town?" she asked conversationally, following Trowa who had begun to head in the direction of the stables.

He turned slightly to look at her and answered, "This is our home base. Right now, we're training for our next season."

"Oh," a pause, then, "You were a Gundam pilot, weren't you?" she asked boldly.

"Yes." 

"I thought you looked familiar."

"You look familiar, as well," he said pointedly, gazing down at her seriously.

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, a little startled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie; it doesn't flatter you. All the blood runs out of your face." Trowa replied with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Averil's mouth opened in anger and her brows knit together. "How dare you accuse me of lying!" she said, stamping her foot.

Trowa simply reached over and took the reigns from her hands. As he turned to lead the horse into its stable, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. When he turned back around, he remarked, "That's better. You're cute when you're angry." Indeed, she did make quite a sight, with her chin tilted haughtily and a flame in her cheeks, eyes flashing dangerously. Of course, none of this phased Trowa, except perhaps, the strange turn his stomach took when she opened her mouth to speak, gave up, and finally smiled at her own amusing behavior.

//_-

After dinner, Averil stood in front of the mirror in her trailer and sighed. _I've already been recognized_, she thought dejectedly, _I thought the circus would be the perfect place to hide, but then they tell me I'll have to perform in front of hundreds of people. And besides, we're going to stay here for two more months. They could easily find me by then! I need to get a disguise. I guess the first thing I could do is cut and dye my hair_. At this, her vision quickly blurred, because her father had always loved her hair. She picked up a pair of scissors and closed her eyes as she brought them closer to one of her silky locks. A tear made its lonely trail down her cheek. 

She gasped and her eyes flew open when a hand reached around her and gently pulled the scissors from her grasp. She looked into her mirror to see Trowa behind her, a frown etching his usually expressionless features. He turned her to face him and wiped away the tears. "Don't do that," he commanded gruffly, not even sure himself whether he meant the cutting or the crying.

Averil lowered her eyes and stared at her hand that was resting against Trowa's chest. Her heart was still beating wildly after the scare he had given her. She shivered slightly at the heat of his hands wrapped around her arms and the memories that swept over her mercilessly. She bit her lip.

Trowa saw the look of pain that crossed her features. Confused, he quickly released her and stepped back, placing the scissors on her dresser. "I brought you a few costumes. For practices, you can wear whatever's comfortable for you, but for the performance, you'll have to consult the costume manager, Vivian." He looked over at the array of bright fabrics, silks, and sequins that created a small heap on her bed. He had quickly thrown them there when he had seen what she was about to do. For some reason, Averil cutting her hair had given him an inexplicable and unpleasant sensation. He turned his head towards her again and eyed her, trying to analyze his abnormal reaction.

"They're very beautiful," she said softly, fingering a lavender creation. 

Trowa examined her movements. Obviously, she was hiding something. She hadn't seemed to fear him until he touched her. "Why were you going to cut your hair?" he said suddenly.

"I-I needed a change," she muttered, mentally kicking herself for her lame answer.

"Now what did I say about lying?" Trowa asked, stepping towards her slowly. He stopped when she backed away in sudden terror and clutched at the post of her bed, her knuckles turning white. He frowned again in confusion. What was she so afraid of? His eyes scanned the room for any clues. The only thing out of the ordinary was a picture of a laughing little girl scooped up in the arms of an equally delighted man. "Is this your father?" Trowa asked, picking up the picture and studying it.

"Yes," she said quickly, glad he had changed the subject. Now if he would just leave so she could be alone. She closed her eyes gratefully when he placed it back on her dresser and headed towards the door. 

Averil caught her breath as he returned to pick up the scissors again, but thankfully he walked back to the door. Without turning, Trowa spoke calmly, "If you try a trick like that again, you're fired," and walked out. Averil exhaled in relief that he was finally gone. She could barely think with that guy around, much less formulate credible answers to his questions. He had her on her toes already, worrying about whether he would recognize her. She certainly was a bad liar. Despite the fact that she might be recognized, she was glad that she had a reason to keep her hair. She stroked it fondly and smiled. After placing the costumes into her closet, she climbed into bed, then leaned over and switched off her lamp.

//_-

Trowa lay in the darkness of his room, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. He took no notice of the figure that crept softly into his room. Catherine observed that he was still awake, so she said what had been on her mind lately, "You miss them, don't you?"

"How did you know?" he said, pleased that she had sensed it.

"Sisters just know things like that," she said kindly, sitting next to him on the bed. She stroked his hair affectionately. "You know, I could ask the ringmaster if you could go this year to get our supplies. Then you could take that time to visit your old friends."

"That would be nice," he said contentedly. They sat in silence for awhile, simply enjoying each other's presence. Catherine continued to comb her fingers through Trowa's hair. 

Finally, he verbalized his thoughts, "Where did you find that girl Averil?"

Catherine smiled. It was unlike him to ask about new circus employees. _I guess our Trowa's growing up_, she thought, still amazed that he was already 20. It was high time he took notice of a girl. "She came to us asking if there was any job we had for her. I noticed that she was familiar with horses. She was riding bareback after all, and she's also pretty and graceful enough to have her own act if she's hardworking. So I convinced the ringmaster to start up the horse act again. We haven't had one since Mab and Pixie left. Why do you ask?"

"I think she's hiding something."

"What makes you think that?"

"She looks familiar. When I asked her about it, she got upset. Then,

when I took her those costumes, she was about to cut off her hair."

"Why would she do that?!" Catherine exclaimed.

"I don't know, maybe to disguise herself, but she was going to do it with her eyes closed. She was crying . . ." Trowa trailed off, remembering how his heart had clenched painfully at the sight. 

"Aww, poor thing," Catherine said softly. There was a pause.

"She knew I was a Gundam pilot," Trowa said darkly.

"Trowa, she's harmless. She merely recognized you from your picture floating around in the media."

"When am I supposed to leave for the supplies?" he asked, deciding it was time to close the topic of Averil.

Catherine stood, used to Trowa's tendencies to abruptly cut off conversations. She answered, "In about a week. They haven't made the lists yet, so while they're doing that, you can take the time to call the guys." She leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "Sleep well, brother," she said tenderly as she pulled away, but Trowa pulled her back for a hug.

"Thank you for understanding," he murmured into her hair before releasing her.

"'Night," she whispered as she quietly left the room.

//_-

Averil urged her horse Miles into a trot and watched the artificial sunrise reflect off the lake in scattered pools of light. So far, her first few days in the circus had been fun. Everyone treated her with like family and asked few questions about her personal life. She hadn't seen much of Trowa for a few days, which was perfectly fine with her. She didn't need anyone snooping around and interrogating her like some criminal, no matter how handsome he was or how intriguing his eyes were.

She pulled Miles to a stop and slipped off his bare back, sliding her hand over his smooth, white coat. She cuddled her cheek against his and giggled. "You're the one that's handsome, Miles. You know that? You're the most handsomest horsie in the world," she said between giggles. He stood patiently, used to his mistress's antics. Averil noticed Miles's ears prick up at some sound that she didn't hear. She turned, but saw nothing in the dark shadows of the woods that circled the clearing. Yet she still _felt_ that someone was there. Her heart began a frenzied rhythm. _They're here_, she thought frantically, but then forced herself to relax. If it really were _them_, then Miles wouldn't be so calm. It had to be someone else.

"You can come out. I know you're there," she called out bravely, although her stomach was still performing acrobatics.

Someone stepped out into the clearing, allowing himself to be seen. "You're less naïve than I originally thought," he said.

"Trowa," Averil breathed. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she stuttered, nervously tucking some errant strands of hair behind her ear.

"This is a fine horse," he said, deliberately avoiding her question and walking up to place a hand on the horse's back.

"Yes, well he's a purebred Arabian. His name is Miles," she said absently, watching as Trowa inspected the horse. She noticed a wave of emotion cross his face briefly, unaware that she had reminded him of a certain sandy-haired friend that he hadn't seen for a year and missed very much. "H-how long have you been here?"

An amused twitch tugged at his lips as he stood from where he had been examining a hoof to lock gazes with Averil over Miles's back. "Long enough," he said, and watched as her cheeks blazed crimson. Mercifully, Trowa asked, "Did your father give you this horse?"

Averil's gray-violet eyes shimmered as she stared off into some long ago memory. "Yes, he's the foal of my father's horse." Her eyes turned to focus on Trowa again. "Animals seem to take to you easily. Miles usually only lets me handle him. And then there's the way those lions let you pet them—it's uncanny."

"We understand each other," he said simply, coming around the side of the horse to stand before her. "It looks like you take good care of him," he remarked.

Averil placed a hand on her hip and tossed her head indignantly.

"Well of course I do! I'm not a criminal like you seem to think I am."

"But you're not an angel, either, like you pretend to be."

Averil rolled her eyes. Her initial thoughts of anxiety quickly turned to offense. _Does this guy ever get angry?! He just says everything with that annoying, calm voice of his. Who does he think he is?_ "No, I'm not an angel, and I never claimed to be one. Now would you step aside so I can go feed Miles? You wouldn't want me to starve him, now would you?"

"Don't get angry. I was just complimenting you."

"Well, thank you, your lordship. I feel so honored," she bit out sarcastically, "Besides, I thought you like it when I get angry." She smirked triumphantly as he was rendered speechless. It was his turn to blush, and he did, very adorably, too. Averil restrained herself from performing a victory dance, but she couldn't help it when a laugh slipped past her hand.

Trowa was relieved at his quick recovery, but it was hard not to smile at the sweet, girlish peals of laughter that now broke forth from her soft lips. When she stopped a moment later, her anger was gone as quick as it had come and her eyes shone at him merrily. "Trowa, do you ever _really _smile?" she asked, wondering what he would look like if he did.

"Yes, but only when there's a good reason to."

"Isn't being friendly a good enough reason?"

"There are too many unfriendly people who smile to appear friendly. Looks can be deceiving. I want people to figure out whether I'm friend or foe without my smile."

She raised an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is, you want people to consider you a friend before you're even friendly." 

"Friendliness and kindness can be shown without a smile or a laugh. Often, those friends are loyal for life," he retorted, thinking briefly of Heero and Wufei.

Averil smiled in understanding and slowly nodded her head. "Oh, so you prefer being kind through your actions rather than your words or appearance. That does make sense, but some people may not see that you are a friend, and that could prove unfortunate. But I can see I won't be able to change your mind. Someday, though," she said matter-of-factly as she led Miles beside her and walked next to Trowa, "I'm going to make you smile, and you'll never live it down when you do." 

He said nothing, but felt that what she said would surely happen. Funny, he was kind of looking forward to it.

//_-

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Even More Author's Notes: If you have any comments or flames, review or email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	2. Ch. 2

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Trust in Me – Chapter Two

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

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Author's Notes: Hey, I'm glad you're back! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, than please email me with your ideas. Thanks! 

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Chapter Two

Averil took a walk into the marketplace of the city later that week, her thoughts again focused on Trowa. He seemed to be respecting her privacy, because he had asked no further questions about her past. She couldn't explain why, but over the last couple of days, she had sought him out to sit with at mealtimes, even though he had shown no sign of interest because of it. Averil didn't care, just as long as he kept treating her like a lady. She was so unused to men treating her with courtesy, that she even tested him on it. Once, she "accidentally" spilled her water on the table, merely to see his reaction. Trowa simply placed her glass upright and left, only to return with a towel. 

He never raised his voice, even if he disagreed with her. Not that he talked that much. She did most of the talking—babbling on about a new trick she had taught Miles or the plans she had begun to make with Vivian for her costume. Sometimes they talked about serious subjects, such as the war. Averil convinced Trowa to tell her his beliefs about fighting because she felt that she had not "dealt with it directly enough to form a solid opinion." She listened intently to all of his clearly thought-out points, and when he was finished, she thanked him and sat quietly for the rest of the meal, simply working it all out in her mind. Although his voice held little feeling as he talked of it, she felt that it was something he passionately believed in, and she regarded him highly for it. She secretly admired Trowa for a lot of things: his tender affection for his sister Catherine; the way he always thought before he spoke (a skill that she wished she had); his willingness to take on any duty asked of him; and the acrobatic prowess she could only dream of attaining. 

And yet, she was still afraid of him. Averil was fearful and distrustful of all men. She couldn't forget large hands squeezing bruises into her upper arms and other unwanted advances. She remembered foul-breathed, drunken men slurring out nasty comments. She shuddered. It had happened before; it would happen again. All she would ever be to men was a piece of meat to hang prettily on their arms in public and clean up their vomit after they drank too much in private. _But that's why I left that life_, she told herself happily, _and I'm never going back_.

Like a slap in the face, Averil heard a familiar, gruff voice speaking nearby, "Yeah, have you seen this girl? This is a recent picture. She's about 20 with red hair. Kind of wide-eyed and pale-skinned, ya know what I mean?" Averil quickly ducked into an alley and peeked around the corner to watch. _It's Kraten's big boys_, she thought, a cold dread climbing up her spine, _Morgan and Boris_. Two large, burly men stood next to a fruit stand, showing a shopkeeper her picture. Morgan continued in his rough voice, "Yeah, you might've seen her on TV. Her name's Lacy Kraten, daughter of Xavier Kraten, the owner of Equus Wagers." Averil didn't stick around to hear anymore. As she ran swiftly back towards the big top, she thought bitterly, _I'm not his daughter_. 

//_-

_. . . 38 . . . 39 . . . 40 . . . done_, Trowa finished his push-ups and rolled over onto his back. His work required him to keep in tip-top physical condition, but that wasn't his reason for exercising today. He was trying to remove a pair of luminous, smoke-colored eyes from his mind. It wasn't working. He sighed in frustration. He'd never felt this kind of attraction to a woman before. He thought that it must be obvious to everyone that he was practically drooling all over her like Duo Maxwell would. _Well, maybe not that bad_, he thought dryly. 

Her whole aura, everything about her, seemed to contradict itself—one moment she was confident, and the next moment she was vulnerable. Then there was the way she would just switch from chattering about her favorite food to stop and look at him with those wide eyes and ask him why he fought in the wars. It just killed him! There was also that look she gave him—trembling and uncertain. He sighed again. Why was she so afraid of him? If he stood or sat too close to her, then she would tense up like a rabbit frozen in terror. He reviewed for the umpteenth time all the times he had been with her. He still couldn't think of any reason she would be _that _scared of him.

It wouldn't be so hard to honor her apparent wish that he not touch her if she wasn't so . . . so . . . _gorgeous_. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a blissful moment to think about the image emblazoned in his mind. Her vibrant auburn hair that fell like satin down her back—he was sure that it would feel like liquid silk in his fingers. She nearly gave him a heart attack that first day when she came close to cutting it off. Then those eyes of hers—they'd haunt him for the rest of his life. There was a touch of sadness and disappointment in Averil's gray-violet eyes, but it didn't take away from the beautiful brightness they contained when she was happy. When she was happy, she smiled, and when she smiled, those rose-pink lips looked even more tempting. At this thought, Trowa shot up into a sitting position and smacked himself on the head. What was he thinking?! _I'm beginning to sound like I'm in love with her. Quatre may believe in love-at-first-sight, but I don't. Besides, I don't even know who she really is. I know she's lying about something. I wonder if Averil is even her real name_. A memory flashed in his mind. _"Names are things other people give you. There's no point in wasting time worrying." Yes, No-name, who are you to question a person's real name? What does it matter—she is who she is, whether Averil is her name or not. _"Averil," he said quietly, savoring the sound of it. 

As if he had asked her to appear, she came flying down the hill at full speed, terror ablaze in her eyes. Trowa sprang up. When she saw him, she slowed and stood trembling, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. He stared at her with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked, a betraying sound of worry in his throat.

Averil was so terrified she could hardly speak. If she could just make it back to her trailer, then she would be safe for a little while at least. She took a step towards Trowa. Dizziness and nausea overwhelmed her at the thought of being found and taken back again. The corners of her vision began to darken, and she swayed. Determined, she tried to maintain consciousness. She mustn't be found. The last thing she saw was Trowa's arms catching her as she fainted.

//_-

"They're here . . . they're here," Averil whispered, her head tossing back and forth. Trowa shifted her weight in his arms for a better grip. He pressed his lips together and frowned. He felt like yelling, "Who's here?!" but he didn't. Even if she was conscious, she wouldn't tell him. He gently laid her down on her bed and let his hand slide through her hair as he pulled away. He let go of the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Her hair felt even better than he thought it would.

"What's going on, Trowa?" Catherine asked from the doorway.

He didn't turn around, but just kept staring intently at Averil's curled-up form, his moss-green eyes deep in thought. After a moment, he answered, "She fainted. When she wakes up, make sure you're here to calm her down. She's frantic about something that happened in town today."

"What happened? Where are you going?" Catherine asked in confusion as he headed for the door. 

Trowa reluctantly turned around. "She's mumbling 'They're here,' and that's all I know," he paused, then spun around and resolutely walked towards the door. "I'm leaving tonight," he said as he stepped outside, _before that girl drives me insane_.

"Trowa?" Catherine said in concern.

"What?" he replied a little impatiently.

"Nevermind," she sighed, then smiled weakly, "Have a nice trip." Suddenly, she flew into his arms and gave him a tight hug, which he returned in earnest. "But you're not leaving me without a hug! I'll miss you."

"It'll only be a month . . . goodbye, Catherine." With that, he was gone.

//_-

When Averil woke up, she immediately remembered everything that had happened. She sat up quickly and was about to bound out of bed, but Catherine grabbed her by the shoulders. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down there. Now tell me, what's going on?"

"It doesn't matter. I just have to get out of here, right now!" She pulled herself away from a very startled Catherine and yanked her suitcase out from under the bed.

Catherine stood. "If you would just tell me what's going on, then maybe I could help you!"

"No, no, you don't understand! There's no time!" Averil cried, continuing her wild rampage around the trailer, flinging essential items recklessly into her suitcase.

Catherine closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "Who is here?" she said deliberately and controlled.

Averil stopped and looked at her, tilting her head in bewilderment. "H-how did you know? No, nevermind, because it doesn't matter, and I'm going to be out of your life for good and-" she stopped, realizing that that meant she would never see Trowa again, the first man, besides her father, to ever give her respect.

"Averil," Catherine said quietly, gently taking hold of the frightened girl's wrist, "I can help you. Whatever it is, you can tell me, and I'll help you."

She looked into Catherine's eyes, and seeing the compassion there, her own eyes filled with tears. She swallowed and stared at the floor, speaking brokenly, "There's nowhere I can go. He won't let me go . . ." she trailed off into a sob. Catherine slid her arm around Averil's shoulder and led her over to the bed. They sat down and Catherine let Averil cry into her shoulder.

"Now what happened downtown today?" Catherine prodded gently, leaning forward to grab the tissues.

"Thanks," Averil sniffled, taking the box gratefully, "There's only a few things I can tell you, or else you might be in danger, too. You see, I know some things, things that could put a lot of people in jail—namely my stepfather, who doesn't want that to happen. When I ran away, he sent out what I call his "big boys"—Morgan and Boris—to track me down. I saw them in town. They were showing my picture around and asking if anyone had seen me. So that's why I have to get out of here as soon as possible, before they come and start snooping around the circus headquarters."

"Can you tell me anything else before you leave?"

"No, because Morgan and Boris might hurt you if they knew you knew something. All I can tell you is that they'll be asking for a Lacy Kraten," Averil said, emphasizing the name and looking at her pointedly.

Catherine's mouth opened in realization and her eyes widened. "That's why Trowa thought you looked familiar. You're stepfather is Xavier Kraten, and you're that beautiful girl—his stepdaughter—seen with him on TV all the time!"

"Yes, and that's all you can know. So will you please help me get out of here—off this colony—tonight?"

Catherine quickly formed a plan in her mind. "I can't get you off the colony tonight, but Trowa's leaving on a shuttle tomorrow morning. He's already on his way to the station though, so you'll have to catch up with him."

"But he'll never let me go with him unless I tell him everything!" Averil cried.

"Well, if you can keep yourself hidden from him until you get off the shuttle on L4, then he can't make you go back, and you don't have to tell him anything until you trust him. But Averil, I'm sending you with him because he can protect you and he will know how to hide you. It's the perfect plan."

Averil doubted that. She could already think of thousands of ways this could go wrong, really wrong, really fast. But what other choice did she have? "All right then, let me finish packing."

//_- 

****

Even More Author's Notes: If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	3. Ch. 3

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Three

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

****

Author's Notes: Hey, I'm glad you're back! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, then please email me with your ideas. Thanks! And I'd like to specifically thank Dawnwalker for reviewing me.

****

Chapter Three

Averil was on the road an hour after packing, driving a jeep that Catherine allowed her to borrow from the circus. She had given Miles a tearful farewell, assuring him that he was in good hands. Catherine had given her directions to the hotel that Trowa would be staying in and the time and flight she would have to catch. She adjusted her clammy grip on the steering wheel and checked her rearview mirror for the hundredth time. She tried to shake her feelings of apprehension. _There's no one following you, Averil_, she told herself. _Yeah, there's no one following me yet_, her fear argued.

She had come to the decision that she would not go to Trowa's hotel room tonight, but would wait to approach him until they were in the shuttle and it had taken off. Until then, she would just follow him. She planned on checking into the hotel, Black Rose Inn, tonight, where she would grab her own room and find out where Trowa's was. That way, she would know that she was definitely on the same shuttle as him. _It would just be my luck that if I didn't, he would decide to sleep in and take a later flight_.

Doubts began to assail her. What if he refused to let her come with him unless she told him the truth about who she was? What if he made her go back after they were on L4 anyway? What if he tried to make a pass at her? She laughed and quickly dismissed that worry. Like he even noticed her that way. He had been _too_ hands-off. Granted, she had cringed if he was too close, but she couldn't help it. It was like a reflex she had around men. But he hadn't seemed to even _look_ at her twice. There were only two times he had shown any interest in that way—when he'd called her cute when she was angry and when he had blushed when she reminded him of it. Other than that, he was totally indifferent. She wondered if he even considered her a friend. He didn't show any sign of enjoying their mealtime talks. She thought about how he acted around Catherine, which was about the same as when he was with her. The only difference was his occasional signs of affection towards Catherine. Yet she knew that he cared very deeply for his sister. She thought back to what he had said about friendliness. Maybe Trowa was being friendly with her, but she just couldn't see it because he didn't show it the way most people would.

Averil's thoughts were interrupted when she spotted the sign for Black Rose Inn. She switched on her turn signal and pulled into the parking lot. She parked in a secluded area to lower the chances that Trowa would notice the circus's jeep. Before she stepped out of the jeep, she checked the left front pocket of her jeans to make sure that her ID was still there. It was her old one, her Lacy Kraten ID. She kept her Averil O'Hare ID in her purse. She had her first one on hand just in case she had to use her old identity in some sort of emergency. She was afraid, though, that someone might find it, so she always put it in her pocket.

Averil stepped out of the jeep and gathered her suitcase and her bag. She had enough clothes, money, and essentials to last her for a month or so. As she stepped into the hotel, she pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket, checking the notes that Catherine had given her. Trowa would be in room 337, so she would reserve her own room on the floor above him, in the 400s. She smiled politely at the lady behind the front desk. "Yes, could you get me a room on the fourth floor just for tonight?"

"Sure, what kind of room do you want?"

"Just one bed," Averil said, handing the lady her credit card.

The woman turned and typed on her computer. "Okay, here you go, room 407."

"Thank you," Averil said as she took the room key and her credit card and turned towards the elevator. After she had deposited her things in her room, she took the stairs down to the third floor. She peeked into the hallway and made sure that Trowa was not there. The stairs had taken her to the 320s, so she had only to follow the numbers until she reached the 330s. She walked along until she came to a hallway that branched off into the 330s. She poked her head around the corner. Her heart jumped a little as she saw Trowa walking down the hallway with his back towards her. She breathed in steadily, glad she had found him so easily, but still partially nervous. She crept around the corner in time to see him take a right turn at the end of the hallway. She padded as swiftly and quietly as she could down the hallway. 

She once again peeked around the corner, but was surprised when she didn't see Trowa. There was a sign outside a room verifying that it held vending machines. _He must be in there_, she thought and shrugged_, there's no need to follow him anymore tonight. I'll just go get some sleep_. She turned and headed back to her room.

Back on the fourth floor, Averil stood outside her door, fumbling with the lock. When she had finally pushed the door open, a hand clamped around her mouth and her waist and pushed her into the room. She tried to scream, but it was muffled by the man's hand. She saw his foot kick the door shut behind them and then he twisted her around and threw her against the door.

"What are you doing here?" Trowa hissed, pulling his hand away from her mouth and clamping it around her arm to hold her against the door.

She tried to speak, but she had trouble catching her breath with his face only inches away from hers. "I-I can't tell you," she finally blurted out in defeat.

"If you won't tell me, then I'll find out. So let's just be quick about this and you tell me," he said coldly, his eyes hard like steel in the dim light of the room.

"Trowa, please," she pleaded, "I can't tell you anything. You just have to trust me on this. I need to go with you."

His eyes softened only a little before he said, "Why were you following me, huh? Am I supposed to believe that you're totally innocent here?"

"I was following you because I didn't want you to make me go back to the circus. I was going to wait until we were on the shuttle to let you know I was coming with you. As far as my innocence is concerned, you'll just have to trust me."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't do that. Not when there's so many questions left unanswered." With that, he began to pat down her body, ignoring the heat that immediately flooded his veins. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" Averil cried in alarm.

"I'm making sure you don't have any weapons on you," he answered gruffly. His hand stopped on her hip when he felt the ID card through the material of her jeans. Averil swallowed and prayed that he wouldn't ask about it. Her prayers were answered as he continued his search, deeming the card unworthy of his attention for the time being. 

Meanwhile, thoughts flew through Trowa's mind a mile a minute. He was disappointed to find that Averil was untrustworthy, and aggravated with his attraction towards her that hadn't lessened because of it. If anything, it had heightened. With her so close to him, he could smell her peach-scented shampoo and feel the heat of her body. When he was satisfied that she had no weapons on her, he pushed her towards the bed, where she ungracefully plopped down on it. "Stay here," he said sternly, his tone leaving no room for dispute.

Averil obediently stayed where he had put her. She trembled involuntarily, scared of this new, angry side of Trowa. She watched as he began to search her bag and suitcase. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked fearfully, her voice barely above a whisper.

He looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "I'm going to take you with me. There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight for a minute. You might as well call the front desk now and tell them you won't be needing this room for the night, because you're coming with me."

Her eyes widened and she choked out, "No, you can't do that. Please, Trowa, I won't leave tonight. I want to go with you." She stood and grabbed the front of his shirt, looking up at him pleadingly.

Trowa's eyes lowered to the hands that clutched at his shirt. He raised his hands and lightly touched her arms. His eyelids lowered as he spoke huskily, "I thought I told you not to move from that spot." She was suddenly aware of how close she was to him, and she quickly dropped her hands and took a step back. Trowa keenly felt her absence, but then he said, "I can't be sure that you really want to go with me. It wouldn't be too unusual for someone to want to kill a former Gundam pilot, and you might be in league with an assassin. You may _be _the assassin. I'm sorry, but you have to stay with me." His voice was gentle again. He bent to retrieve her bag and suitcase to hide any expressions that might cross his face and give away his feelings.

Averil, of course, noticed no such thing. "You're so paranoid," she commented, but obeyed and turned sadly towards the phone, sure that he hated her now. After she had informed the front desk that she no longer needed her room, she turned back to him. "Well," she said in defeat, "I'm ready."

Trowa grimaced. _She sounds like I'm leading her to her execution. Is it really that bad that she has to share a room with me? Surely she doesn't think that I'm going to hurt her or anything!_ His words revealed none of his inner thoughts. "Let's go take your key back first." She nodded and meekly followed him out the door.

//_-

Back in Trowa's hotel room, Averil was curled up in a protective ball on the one double bed in the room. She watched Trowa as he got ready for bed. Her stomach was doing flip-flops as she wondered whether he would try to share the bed with her. She didn't think she could stand that. She cringed at the thought of sleeping next to a man. She'd never been caught in that position before, as she had always been able to finagle her way out of those circumstances with the men Kraten had made her escort to parties. She caught her breath as Trowa pulled his shirt off, revealing a well-muscled torso and arms. Not that she hadn't seen him shirtless before—the costume for his high-wire act had only suspenders for his upper body. But this was different, because he might be crawling into bed beside her in the next few minutes. She rolled over and faced the wall, feeling a little light-headed.

His footsteps made soft sounds in the plush carpet as he walked over to the bed. Averil held her breath as he leaned over her and paused for a second. What was he doing? 

Trowa had simply given into an impulse and inhaled Averil's sweet-smelling hair before he retrieved a pillow and blanket. 

She let out her breath as she realized that he was going to be a gentleman and sleep on the floor. Unbidden tears filled her eyes at his consideration.

"Trowa?" she said timidly, after he had turned out the light and settled himself on the floor. 

"Yes?"

"How did you know I was following you?"

Surprisingly, he laughed. "You can't follow a Gundam pilot, don't you know that?"

She quickly leaned over the bed to try and see his smiling face. "I made you laugh!" she said incredulously. Then she whined, "But I can't even see your face because the light's not on!" At that, he laughed again.

//_-

Trowa and Averil stood in line for the shuttle, waiting to hand in their tickets. Trowa hadn't let her out of his sight the whole morning. He had been acting even more aloof than normal, and she figured that he'd stay that way until she told him her whole story. But she wasn't about to tell him until she was good and ready. She had to know that she could trust him, and that he would accept her earlier weaknesses. Would he understand that she just wasn't strong enough to stand up for herself? Or would he be even angrier with her? She couldn't bear having him mad at her. She hated how he was standing so rigid next to her and how he refused to talk. Last night, after she had made him laugh, he had clammed up right away, as if he was determined not to open up with her anymore. And things had been going so well back at the circus! Although she wasn't sure if he had liked her even as a friend, she did feel that in time he would have. Now it was all ruined, just because she was too afraid to trust him. 

__

I'm so screwed up, she thought in despair, lowering her head and clenching her fists at her side. Noticing her change in demeanor, Trowa looked down at Averil, dreading the vulnerable form that he had caught glimpses of before. And there she was, looking so _needy_. He hated the sudden surge of protectiveness that threatened to overwhelm him. And it did, because he couldn't stop himself from turning to her and lifting her chin up with his hand. She looked up at him with watery eyes. "What's wrong?" he whispered, unable to make his voice any louder. 

She reached up to take hold of his hand that had moved to cup her cheek. She struggled to say something, but she felt like she was drowning in his deep green eyes—concerned eyes. Surely she could trust him if he was concerned about her? "I-uh-I—," she began, but was interrupted by a delighted sigh.

Trowa and Averil broke out of their reverie and turned to see the ticket lady, a sweet little grandmotherly type, smiling with a hand over her heart. Apparently, it was their turn in line. They quickly dropped their hands and fumbled in their pockets for their tickets, feeling the heat rise to their cheeks. The ticket lady sighed again. "Oh, you two must be newlyweds. I can see it in your eyes. Where are you going on your honeymoon?" she asked eagerly yet innocently, clasping her hands beneath her chin.

Trowa looked up quickly. Averil dropped her purse. The ticket lady just kept on smiling sweetly, until Trowa finally found his voice. "No, I'm afraid you're mistaken. We're not married." She looked shocked and a little confused. Realizing how she must have interpreted that, Trowa hastily continued, "We're not like that—I mean—we're not going on anything like a honeymoon or anything and we-um—"

"We're on a business trip," Averil cut in, saving them from further embarrassment. By now she had gathered her wits and her fallen purse, and stood confident and seemingly unaffected by it all. 

Trowa stared. _There she goes again. I swear, she must have multiple personalities_, he thought. 

The lady nodded wisely as she gave them a knowing smile and took their tickets. "Well, you have a nice trip, and remember," she said, winking slyly, "save a little time for play." Averil nodded and smiled weakly before turning to Trowa, who stood slightly dazed. Somehow, she managed to calmly take his arm and lead him through the doorway.

//_-

You never know till you try to reach them how accessible men are; but you must approach each man by the right door.

-Henry Ward Beecher 

****

Even More Author's Notes: If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	4. Ch. 4

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Four

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

//_-

****

Chapter Four

"So," Averil said, as they sat in the shuttle headed towards Earth. "What exactly are we doing on this trip?"

"You mean you don't know?" he asked, confused and suspicious.

She shook her head, realizing that in the rush of things, Catherine had forgotten to tell her what Trowa had planned on doing in the first place.

A little exasperated, he answered, "I'm getting some supplies for the circus." Then he handed her the list that he had been studying.

Averil looked over the items on the list, wondering how they were going to carry this stuff with them. "We're just making orders, right?"

"Yeah, we won't actually get this stuff for another month. I'm just ordering it and making plans for shipment. Usually, I'm not the one who does this, but Catherine knew it would be a great way for me to visit my friends again by buying supplies near where they live."

"When you say 'your friends,' do you mean the other Gundam pilots?"

"Yeah," he said, then looked at her suspiciously, "So is that why you wanted to come with me, to find out where they live now?" 

She turned in her seat in order to look him in the eye, feeling the anger rise in her at his persistent distrust. "Trowa, I didn't even know that we were going to see them. I'm not a spy or anything, okay?" His look didn't soften. "How could I be a spy if I'm such a bad liar, huh? I'm not even cut out for that sort of thing."

"All right," he said grudgingly, "I can't argue with that, so I'll let you off the hook, for now."

"Good," she said, smiling sweetly and leaning back in her seat again. After a silent moment had passed, Averil spoke up again, "Trowa? Do you consider me a friend?"

He sighed inwardly. How was he supposed to answer that when he couldn't sort out half of his feelings for her? He settled on his harder feelings, considering that safer. "It's not easy to be friends with someone you can't trust."

Somehow she knew he would say that. "But I don't trust you totally, yet I still want to be friends with you," she paused, considering her next words, "I _want_ to tell you everything about my past, but I'm afraid."

Trowa was surprised by her answer. He had expected her to be upset or mad or try to change his mind. Instead, she just admitted that she wanted to be friends. He suddenly felt guilty about the cold shoulder that he had been giving her. He had no right to judge her so quickly. 

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" she asked tentatively.

He realized that he had left her hanging because he was so absorbed in his own thoughts. He seemed to do that a lot with people. He spoke hesitantly, something he didn't do very often, "I-uh-I think I owe you an apology." Averil's eyes widened in amazement. He was apologizing to her? "I shouldn't have been so hard on you. I was from the moment we met. Yes, some of your actions have been suspicious, but I have ignored what has been trustworthy. And I never even stopped to think that you might have trouble trusting me. I said once that actions can show friendship more than words, and I have ignored those actions, automatically assuming you were wearing some mask of friendliness. I'm sorry."

Averil sat in shock at his long, apologetic speech. Finally, she managed to say, "Do you want to be friends?"

"I'm not sure. I feel the same way you do—wanting to be friends, but still unable to trust you."

"Then let's be friends, and let the trust come afterwards. I know I have something to build on—and that's my feelings. Even though my mind tells me not to trust you, I feel, well, _safe_ when I'm with you," she said honestly, realizing that she hadn't worried about her pursuers since she'd met up with Trowa at the hotel. "But I don't know what you feel when you're with me. Do you always get bad vibes when I'm around?"

__

No, never, he thought, _I've felt everything but distrust when I'm with you. It's only my mind that's holding me back_. Out loud, he surprised himself with his honesty, "I like being with you." He said nothing else, feeling a little awkward after what he had just blurted out.

__

Whoa, thought Averil, _first he's sorry, then he says he likes being with me! I would have never guessed! This guy's totally unreadable. Okay, so say something, girl!_ "Sooo, is that a yes?"

"Yeah, let's see how it goes," he answered, avoiding her gaze.

He looked up though when she touched his arm. "Thanks, Trowa," she said softly, smiling genuinely. Trowa smiled back, and they shared their first smile of friendship—however illogical their fragile trust may have been. All they knew was that it _felt _right. And as a bonus, Averil was pleased to find out that Trowa had a gorgeous smile. 

//_-

They stood in the high-ceilinged entrance of the Winner estate, waiting while one of the Maguanacs went to fetch Quatre. Averil fidgeted nervously at Trowa's side. When she noticed his eyes on her, she said, "Look at me! I'm going to meet _the _Quatre Raberba Winner, and I look like I've been sleeping in my clothes."

"You _have_ been sleeping in your clothes. You slept nearly the whole trip here."

__

She glared at him. "I knew you wouldn't be sympathetic."

He sighed. "You look fine, and besides, Quatre won't care. He's not some stuck-up, rich snob."

"I know," she said, smiling a little dreamily, "He always looks so sweet and caring on the news, and I can tell he's not faking it. But I do want to look decent for him." Trowa rolled his eyes, and felt a small twinge of jealousy. Why did all the girls think Quatre was so cute? Then he laughed inwardly at himself, knowing that he would hate that kind of attention anyway. What he didn't realize was that several female coworkers and hundreds of girls who had seen him in the circus had been insanely jealous of Catherine's act with him. What girl wouldn't want to be caught in his arms like that?

His thoughts were interrupted as a tall, burly man—Rashid—came in, followed by the bright-eyed blonde, still small, but noticeably taller, stronger, and much more confident. Trowa felt a sense of pride in his friend, who had proved himself an excellent heir to the Winner fortunes in the last few years.

Quatre's eyes immediately fixed on Trowa, and he quickly crossed the room to give him a hug. He pulled back, a huge smile on his face. "Gosh, it's been forever since I've seen you, Trowa! I'm so glad you came to visit."

Trowa smiled back. "It's only been a year, Quatre."

"_Only_, it seems like forever. I'm all holed up in this huge house alone and none of my friends ever come to visit! I have 12 guestrooms and they never get used." Averil laughed, finding his differences from Trowa funny, but immediately liking his down-to-earth character. Quatre turned to her and smiled. "And who's this, Trowa?"

"This is my friend Averil O'Hare. She just joined the circus a couple weeks ago." _Has it only been two weeks?_ he thought, and caught Averil smiling at him. _She must be thanking me for calling her a friend._ His eyes smiled back. _No problem, Averil_.

Meanwhile, the intuitive Quatre didn't miss the small exchange between the two. He was delighted to see that his friend had met someone. But knowing Trowa, it would be awhile before they called themselves anything more than friends. Suddenly, Averil found herself enveloped in a warm, welcoming hug from Quatre. She hugged him back, pleasantly surprised, and for the first time not revolted by a man's affections. 

"Welcome to L4, Averil," Quatre said.

"Thank you. No one's ever made me feel so welcome before. Do you mind if I call you Quatre, too?"

"Not at all. 'Mr. Winner' sounds like my father, not me. Now I'm sure you guys want to go freshen up after your trip, right? So I'll have Rashid and Jazmin show you to your rooms, and then you can come down for dinner." 

Soon Averil found herself whisked upstairs by a gorgeous brunette—Jazmin—and taken to a huge guestroom in the west wing. It was all decorated in shades of purple and gold, with ornate designs on the dark woodwork and walls. The bed's style was traditional Arabian with dozens of velvety pillows and a transparent drape surrounding it. As if that weren't luxurious enough, there was even a balcony, with its door opened so that its gauzy lavender curtains ruffled in the breeze. She gasped in delight and exclaimed, "A balcony! This is unbelievable."

"Quatre's very generous. He gave you one of his best guestrooms," Jazmin said, her voice smooth and her manner graceful. Averil immediately liked her, glad to have a girl to talk to again.

"What should I wear for dinner?"

"If you have a simple dress, that would be nice, but only for the sake of looking pretty. Otherwise, you can wear whatever's comfortable." 

"Well, I do have a dress, so I guess I'll try and look pretty."

Jazmin laughed, and even that sounded lovely, "Oh you don't have to _try_ to look pretty, you _are_!"

Averil laughed, "Is everyone around here this nice? I need a good ego boost every now and then."

"Yes, I think you'll like it here. I hope you guys can stay for awhile. I really want to get to know Quatre's friends. And I'm sure he'll want to get to know you, since you're Trowa's friend." 

When was the last time she'd felt this happy, or accepted? It was definitely going to be nice here. 

//_-

Averil emerged from her room for dinner, decked out in a lovely, sleeveless peach dress. The inner material was a coral color that fell to her feet. This was covered by sheer peach chiffon that lightened up the outfit. The waistline was high up at her ribcage, but not quite an empire waist, and the neckline was up at her throat. Her favorite part of the dress was the thin, red silk ribbons that formed vertical stripes for the top half, and under the waistline, they traveled freely down the length of her dress beneath the chiffon layer. Averil decided that she didn't look _too_ dressed up, though, because she had left her hair down, and she wore no jewelry. 

When she looked up, she saw Trowa standing and watching her from the top of the stairway. She nervously smoothed her dress and tried to walk over to him gracefully, the way Jazmin walked. He waited for her patiently. It seemed only natural for him to offer his arm and for her to allow him to escort her to dinner. They walked down the stairs silently, absorbed in their own thoughts, and both keenly aware of their closeness and touching skin. When they arrived in the dining room, Quatre and Jazmin were already seated and waiting for them. Trowa was surprised to see that Quatre's hands were clasped around Jazmin's and they were talking in hushed, earnest tones. They both looked up as Trowa and Averil came in, and Quatre released her hands. A sincere smile appeared on his face as he welcomed them to dinner, leaving whatever problem was between Jazmin and him until later. 

"You look lovely, Averil," Quatre remarked as Trowa pulled out her chair for her. She felt a little overwhelmed. One guy was complimenting her and the other was being a perfect gentleman; this was too much.

"Thank you, Quatre. Jazmin suggested that I dress up." She then looked up and smiled her thanks to Trowa.

The meal went on uneventfully. However, Trowa did take note that Averil seemed very familiar with the etiquette for the fancy dinner, for she never once faltered. Once again, he wondered about her past.

After dessert, Quatre and Trowa decided that they wanted to indulge in a little music, and they headed off to the music room to fiddle around on Quatre's collection of instruments. Jazmin and Averil followed them slowly, chatting about hair and clothes. Finally, Averil's curiosity overcame her and she asked abruptly, "Are you and Quatre a couple? Because Quatre never formally introduced you."

Jazmin blushed and lowered her eyes, answering, "No, we're only friends. I've been working as Quatre's personal assistant for a while now. He's too polite to ever overstep his boundaries as my employer. What he doesn't realize is that I wouldn't mind at all. But we are friends, and anyway, I doubt he even feels anything more for me than friendship."

Averil stopped walking, so that they could stay in the privacy of the hallway. "I hope I'm not prying, but what were you guys talking about when Trowa and I came in?"

"Well, Quatre was asking me what was bothering me so much lately, because, of course, he can always tell when someone's upset. I told him that I didn't know how to tell him, and to please just give me time. He's very concerned, and totally clueless. The thing is, I think I should tell him that . . . I see him as more than an employer or friend, but I'm afraid that everything will be awkward."

"So do you think maybe you're in love with him?" Averil asked, eyebrows raised.

Jazmin smiled. "I'm not sure. But what I do know is that he's everything that any girl could want."

"Certainly one-in-a-million. There's not very many men out there like him." Averil smiled sadly.

"Well, there's one man that I can think of who, from what little I've seen and all that Quatre's told me, is like him." 

Averil already knew the answer, and she mouthed "Trowa" as Jazmin said it. 

//_-

Jealousy is the great exaggerator.

-Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

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Author's Notes: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, then please email me with your ideas. If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	5. Ch. 5

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Five

By Kilmeny

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

//_-

****

Chapter Five

Although Jazmin meant well, she couldn't have realized the effect her suggestion would have on Averil. It ruined her whole evening. She was very silent as she tried to keep her eyes and thoughts off Trowa. Needless to say, she wasn't very successful. All she could think about was how great he was, and how much he would hate her when he found out the truth about her past. Throughout the night, he would occasionally look over at her. She wasn't sure why, but she figured it was because she was so quiet. Finally, she became fed up with her torturous thoughts, and she excused herself, claiming exhaustion.

Averil slowly climbed the steps up to her room, letting the soft strands of the flute and violin that floated from the music room calm her. In her room, she closed the door behind her and pulled off her shoes as she walked over to the dresser. She slipped out of her dress and hung it in the closet. Then she eagerly pulled out her favorite silk nightgown and let it slip over her head. After she had combed her hair, she walked over to the balcony and stepped out into the moonlight. She noticed that the balcony was connected to another room . . . Trowa's. The green curtains of his room were ruffling in the breeze. She turned and leaned on the balcony, resting her head on her hand and closing her eyes as the wind played with her curls.

She wished she had someone who she could talk to, pour out all of her worries and frustrations on, but there was no one. Her father was dead, and her mother, miles away from here, was practically imprisoned in her own home, just because her stepfather was a possessive, paranoid jerk. The tears came first because of the rage she felt towards her stepfather, and then she couldn't stop them as all the tension of the past few weeks caught up with her. "There's nothing I could do," she told her conscience in a shaky whisper, "I could only run away." Then she gripped the sides of her head as guilt washed over her, full-force. 

Averil was unaware that Trowa stood only a few steps away, and he had heard what she said. His heart ached for the hunched-over form. He was unsure of what to do. How could he help this woman who he knew so little about? Instinctively, he reached out and pulled her to his chest, where she stiffened in surprise. Then he wrapped both arms protectively around her and gently rubbed her back. He breathed her name with a great depth of emotion for only one word. The way he said it so completely erased any fear from Averil's heart that she found it easy to allow him to touch her. Her shoulders began to shake with sobs and her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. He held her patiently as she cried and cried, soaking his shirt with her tears, but he didn't care. It felt good to hold her, and he hoped that he could help her somehow. Finally, she calmed down and closed her eyes, still resting against him. She slipped her arms up around his back and held him tightly, listening to his rapid heartbeat. 

"What are you running from, Averil?" he asked quietly, and she thought it splendidly intimate how the sound vibrated through his chest into her ear.

"It's not important," she said quietly.

"Anything that has you this upset is important to me," he answered gently.

She raised watery eyes to meet his and asked incredulously, "I'm important to you?" 

He gave a short laugh, "Yeah, I guess you grow on me after awhile." He brushed some strands of hair away that had caught in her eyelashes, amazed at how _right _it felt to hold her. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Then Trowa said, "You still haven't answered my question."

She lowered her gaze. "I'm not ready to tell you yet."

He suppressed an urge to groan, yet his words still came out forceful, "We're going to have to start talking to each other sometime, Averil."

She turned her head and looked down on the grounds of the estate. She stepped out of his arms and murmured, "I know. Just give me time."

Trowa felt himself being shut out, as she raised up her walls of secrecy once again. He didn't like that feeling at all, he thought as he prepared to give her a scathing glance. But when his eyes swept over her body, he was forced to suck in a breath. He hadn't realized that she had changed into _that_—a clingy silk nightgown revealing long, smooth legs. He suddenly wanted to pull her back into his arms again, and this time he would _really_ relish the feeling. Averil cleared her throat and looked at him strangely. He was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts, and, embarrassingly, a blush crept up his cheeks. He desperately tried to form a coherent sentence. "Uh, that's fine. Take your time."

Had he been checking her out? And was that a blush just now? She blinked in surprise, but, sure enough, his blush stubbornly remained. Oh, she really needed to make her escape, before she did something rash. She probably just imagined that anyway. Uncertainly, she said, "Well, I guess that's 'goodnight' then?" _No!_ her mind argued, _I still want to be with him!_ She instantly felt guilty. He had been kind enough to let her cry all over him—she grimaced at the large tearstains on his shirt—and now she was trying to make a quick exit. What she really wanted to do was throw herself back against his solid warmth, but then she'd end up telling him everything.

"Yeah," he said absently, his thoughts seeming to be elsewhere. 

He wouldn't even look at her! Oh, of course, he was probably bored with her by now. Ugh! She was so confused! "Um, I just want to say 'thanks' again. I'm sorry I got your shirt all wet." She smiled ruefully.

"Oh, no problem," he answered, finally looking at her. "Goodnight, Averil." And then he quickly retreated to his room. 

She stood still, stunned by his strange behavior. She looked wistfully at his closed doors, more confused than ever. Then she thought determinedly, _I won't even think about it now. Tonight, I'm going to get a good night's sleep in that heavenly bed, and tomorrow I can analyze my screwed-up life. _Fortunately, Averil was born with the natural ability that enabled someone to push their worries aside until a later time and take on an unaffected attitude instead. She turned and ran playfully to her bed, throwing herself on the mountain of pillows as if she was a kid again jumping into a pile of leaves. She giggled girlishly and slipped peacefully into sleep. Crying had really helped. 

//_-

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ thought Trowa as he closed his doors to the balcony, relieved that she was no longer in his sight. He had stood there, barely registering what she was saying because he had been trying so hard to keep his eyes . . . and hands . . . off of her. He rested his forehead against the cool glass on the doors and sighed, wondering why his life had taken this turn of events. He had accepted the responsibility of gathering supplies in order to escape Averil, but now here they were, just the two of them . . . alone . . . together. He grimaced. It was worse than before, because now no one was around to keep him from thinking about her, holding her, or . . . kiss—no! . . . doing anything else his crazy heart told him to do. And to top it all off, the mystery of her identity was even greater. 

Well, for starters, she was running away from something . . . his hand traveled up to the dampness on his shirt . . . and she was hurting. At first, he had only cared about knowing who she was, but now he was more concerned about what had hurt her, and what she was running from, and how to help her. And he was determined to do anything to find out. _I will find out. Go ahead and take your time, Averil, but I will eventually find out, even if I have to kiss you senseless to do so. No! Stop thinking that way, Trowa! Uugghh! This girl is driving me crazy_. He beat his head against the door a few times, but it didn't help. Finally, he turned and slipped out of his clothes, heedlessly throwing them on the floor—something he only did when he was distracted.

After lying on his bed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling, he suddenly remembered something. A light switched on in his head, along with a resounding _duh!_ He felt like an idiot. It wasn't some_thing _that had hurt her; it was some_one_. He clenched his fists, wanting to strangle whoever it was. He recalled that when she woke up after passing out, she had said "they're here." Who were "they?" Why didn't he ask her at the time? He had been so keen on running away from her that he was too selfish to find out. He mentally kicked himself for being a jerk and a coward. He'd left when she may have needed him the most. _What am I so afraid of? Even if she is lying about who she is, it's not like she's dangerous. I can handle assassins and con artists. I can handle people lying to me. It's not like it hasn't happened before. But the truth is, I don't want that coming from her. I want her to be real with me. The last thing I need is to fall in love with a liar._

//_-

****

Can't Fight This Feeling

By REO Speedwagon
    
    
    I can't fight this feeling any longer
    And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow
    What started out as friendship has grown stronger
    I only wish I had the strength to let it show
    I tell myself that I can't hold out forever
    I said there is no reason for my fear
    'Cause I feel so secure when we're together
    You give my life direction
    You make everything so clear
    And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight
    You're a candle in the window
    On a cold dark winter's night
    And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might
    And I can't fight this feeling anymore
    I've forgotten what I started fighting for
    It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars forever
    
    'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
    I've forgotten what I started fighting for
    And if I have to crawl upon the floor
    Come crushing through your door
    Baby I can't fight this feeling anymore
    My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you
    I've been running 'round in circles in my mind
    And it always seems that I'm following you girl
    'Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find
    And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight
    You're a candle in the window
    On a cold dark winter's night
    And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might
    And I can't fight this feeling anymore
    I've forgotten what I started fighting for
    It's time to bring this ship into the shore
    And throw away the oars forever
    'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
    I've forgotten what I started fighting for
    And if I have to crawl upon the floor
    Come crushing through your door

Baby I can't fight this feeling anymore

//_-

"I will say it again, I don't know who you are talking about," Catherine said through clenched teeth.

"Now come on, little lady. Don't lie to us. We know she's around here somewhere," said Boris in a fake, saccharine voice.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken. No one has seen that girl. I must request that you leave now," she answered coolly, motioning towards the door.

"Come on, Boris," Morgan said angrily. "We'll find her soon." 

Catherine sighed in relief as she watched the two men cross the lawn. She turned back to her TV and once again became absorbed in the news.

Morgan and Boris strode across the yard, glaring at anyone who dared look them in the eye. Kraten would not be happy, so they weren't happy. Suddenly, Boris halted and reached to the side to place a restraining hand on Morgan's chest.

"What?!" Morgan exclaimed irritably.

"Look," said Boris, pointing to a white purebred Arabian that was being led to the stables not far away.

"Hey! You there, stop!" commanded Morgan, running towards the horse and the girl who led him. She turned and watched as the two men approached. Abruptly, Miles reared and tried to bolt. The girl, surprised, let go of the reigns.

They stopped in front her. "Don't worry about the horse, Boris. It's Miles, all right—never would let us near him," said Morgan, watching without concern as Miles ran for the safety of the stables.

Boris extended a strong hand and latched roughly onto the girl's arm. "Where did you get that horse?"

She looked up with frightened eyes. "Some girl named Averil brought him when she came here."

Boris grinned grotesquely in triumph. "Did this girl have red hair?"

"Y-yes."

"Where is she now?" asked Morgan eagerly.

"I was told that she left last night."

"Where to?"

"I-I don't know," she answered, truly terrified as she tried to remove herself from Boris's bruising grasp, but he didn't let go. Instead he dragged her towards Catherine's trailer, eager to finally use force to get their answers. Morgan followed closely behind, smiling evilly. This is what they did best. 

//_-

"So Trowa, do you mind if I come with you today on your errands? That is," Quatre said slyly, "If I won't be in the way. I would understand if you want Averil all to yourself the whole day." Trowa and Quatre sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and eating a light breakfast of fruit and toast.

Trowa nearly choked on his toast. Geez! What was it with people being all _suggestive_ about him and Averil? He almost slammed his coffee mug down that he held in his other hand, but contained himself before he sloshed coffee all over the table. Quatre watched him curiously. It was definitely unlike Trowa to be so on edge. Finally, Trowa answered through gritted teeth, "It's _fine_ if you want to come, Quatre." He refused to verbally acknowledge Quatre's presumption, although his behavior had been answer enough for the blonde's curiosity.

At that moment Averil appeared in the doorway with her hair tossed into a sloppy ponytail, still looking bleary-eyed from sleep. All in all, she looked quite adorable. She yawned and stretched luxuriously. Trowa tried to ignore the effect she had on him and averted his gaze to his coffee. Quatre smiled brightly. "Did you have a good night's sleep?" he asked.

She smiled back and sat next to him at the table, avoiding eye contact with the silent Trowa. "Yeah, I could really get used to a bed like that. Thanks for all your hospitality, Quatre."

"It's my pleasure. I love having guests." He glanced over at Trowa, who still sat brooding silently. "So are you coming with Trowa and I to arrange the shipments?"

"I—I don't know. I'm sure you guys want some time to catch up. Would it be alright if I stayed here?" She felt a little unsure about Trowa. Maybe he was mad at her about last night. Besides, she wanted to stay out of the public eye as much as possible, just in case someone might recognize her. When she felt Trowa's eyes on her, she turned to him and said a little brusquely, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. You can have Quatre keep a guard on me if you're that concerned."

Trowa raised his brows a little in bewilderment. He really hadn't been worrying about that. He realized that he trusted her not to run away when he wasn't around. What he had been concerned about was why she didn't want to spend the day with him. Maybe she was mad at him about last night. "No, that's fine."

Quatre eyes traveled back and forth between the two. Now he was really confused! What was that about a guard? Why would she need a guard? "Averil, are you in some kind of danger? I can have one of the Maguanacs look after you," he said fretfully.

"Uh—no, I'm in no kind of danger," she lied, "It's just your _friend_ here is Mr. Paranoid."

The blonde looked at her blankly. "What's he so paranoid about?"

Averil was about to answer, but Trowa cut her off. "Nothing. She's overreacting again. Redheads do that. I may be paranoid, but at least I'm not Little Miss Drama Queen." He couldn't believe he'd just said that! He never insulted women, but for some reason she could so easily make him mad. Besides, he wasn't sure if he was ready to explain to Quatre why she was even with him in the first place. Heck! _He_ didn't even know.

"Again?! Drama queen?!" she nearly screeched, turning a bright shade of red. "I am _not_ a drama queen! Just because I'm a redhead does not mean I overreact all the time."

Quatre, although still confused, quickly changed the subject. "Oh, Averil, I forgot. Help yourself to breakfast. I'm sorry I didn't offer it before. There I go talking about loving to have guests, and then I'm a terrible host."

"Quatre, you are the perfect host." She smiled at him sweetly, before saying, "At least _someone _around here has some manners."

Trowa again felt a twinge of jealousy towards Quatre. He unconsciously clenched his coffee mug before saying, "Well, while you're lounging around all day, Quatre and I have some errands to run." He ignored Averil's angry sputtering, and turned to speak to Quatre, "Are you ready?"

What was going on here?! Quatre couldn't believe his ears. Trowa was _never_ this rude to anyone, especially a woman. He frowned in bewilderment. These two were obviously getting their feelings bruised. He sighed and decided to let them be until he figured out exactly what was going on. "Yes, I'm ready," he said calmly, as if the tension crackling in the air did not exist. He stood up from his chair and turned to Averil. "Feel free to roam around the estate. Maybe you and Jazmin could go swimming. There's a pool on the west side. She'll be in the gardens if you need her."

"Okay, thanks a ton. I'll keep a dip in the pool in mind," she answered, trying to ignore the tall, _rude_ man that stood waiting behind Quatre. "Good riddance," she muttered once they had left. She quickly finished her breakfast and went out into the gardens to find Jazmin. She desperately needed to indulge in some serious girl talk.

She found her weeding on the south side of the estate, near the largest of the fountains. She was singing in a low, velvety alto, and Averil wasn't surprised that her singing was so lovely because her voice was so nice when she spoke. She came up softly behind her and let her finish before saying, "You have a terrific voice."

Jazmin squinted up at her and smiled. "Thanks. Quatre likes to have me sing at some of his functions, and sometimes he backs me up on the piano or violin."

Averil knelt down beside her and began to help her pull out the stubborn weeds. "That sounds nice, but don't you get nervous? I love to sing, but I'd be afraid to in front of people."

"Yes, but I just think of it like this: if God has gifted me with a voice, then why shouldn't I use my talent? So many people waste their time doing things that they have no passion for and aren't gifted in, instead of doing what comes naturally to them. If you love to sing, then you should let it have a place in your life. Not to sound corny, but that's what enriches your life—doing the things you're passionate about, even if you're scared."

"I guess you're right. It's just that I haven't had a lot of encouragement to be myself." At this, Averil's eyes smoldered and she turned her head down. "I've been forced to be someone I'm not—" Her voice broke a little at the end, and she swallowed the guilt and held in the burning at the backs of her eyes.

Jazmin placed her hand on her shoulder and guided her over to the fountain's bench. "I don't know what your life has been like, but just know that now you are free to be yourself. Trowa, Quatre, and I are your friends."

"Thank you, Jazmin, you're a sweetheart, but that's not what I came to you to talk about."

"Then what is it?" she asked in concern.

"It's Trowa. Jazmin, what you said last night—well, I can't get him off my mind. He wants me to tell him about my past and who I really am, but I'm afraid if he knows, then he won't want anything to do with me. Yet I need him to protect me . . . and I want to be with him. He's the first man I've ever felt safe with besides my father." Her voice had begun to rise in desperation.

"Now what makes you think that he won't want to be with you if he knows about your past?" she questioned rationally.

"I did things that I didn't want to do, and that I knew I shouldn't have. And then I ran away from it. I didn't try to make things right, and I'm still running."

"Averil, have you ever thought that maybe Trowa doesn't have the most innocent of pasts, either? Sure, he did what he did for a just cause, but he made mistakes, too. He has blood on his hands, just as all the Gundam pilots do."

Averil paused. She knew that this was true, but she hadn't connected it to her own predicament. She had automatically placed it aside, because it didn't matter to her what he had done. "No, I guess I didn't think about it because it didn't matter to me. Who he is now is what matters."

"Then he probably feels the same way about you, right?" she pointed out.

"But he's always so paranoid about me. He still doesn't trust me."

"Do you trust him?"

Averil thought for a moment and realized that yes, she did trust him. She knew that he had a good heart, and that he would never hurt or take advantage of her. "Yes, I trust him completely," she said confidently, "He has a good heart."

"Then you've got to believe that he will care for you because of who you are now, and not what you were then. You should tell him, if you really want to be friends with him."

Averil looked down at her hands, which she had twisted in her lap. "But I—" her voice broke and tears began to run slowly down her cheeks. Jazmin placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm still guilty. I'm a coward . . ."

"The only way to remedy that is to right your wrongs, no matter how scary that is. Maybe if you tell Trowa, he can help you."

Averil buried her face in her hands and let out a hopeless moan. "I just don't know if I can do that—if I have the strength to make things right. The consequences of it are overwhelming."

"Averil, I don't know what it is that happened to you, but what's the worst that could happen?"

She looked up at Jazmin with wide eyes and trembling lips. "He—he'd kill me, or worse, my mom. I'd have to have protection, and I'd have to get my mom someplace safe."

Jazmin's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, Averil! Whatever it is, you've got to tell Trowa. He's the one that can help you, and Quatre can, too."

Averil nodded miserably in agreement. Jazmin was right. It was like some unseen force had led her to Trowa for a reason, and she wasn't going to back out now. She stood and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you, Jazmin. You've been a great help—a godsend."

Jazmin stood and enveloped Averil in a hug. She whispered in her ear, "God bless, Lacy."

Averil's eyes widened and she quickly backed away to look Jazmin in the eyes. The brunette calmly smiled at her. She stuttered, "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Jazmin laughed. "Don't play dumb with me; I recognized you from the start. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell your secret. Somehow I just knew that you were a kindred spirit—if you want to call it that. Don't be afraid, everything will work out. I just know it—the same way I knew that you were a good person."

The tears came to Averil's eyes again—they came so easily now. "Oh thank you again. I've never met people like you—so open and real." 

They shared a smile of understanding. Then Jazmin said, "Okay, girl, let's go relax in the pool. It'll be our stress reliever."

"Quatre suggested that, too! Speaking of which, you can tell me all about _your_ love life!" exclaimed Averil, easily changing moods.

Jazmin laughed, "Or my lack thereof!"

//_-

****

The Last Flight Out

By Plus One
    
    I'm so scared that you will see
    All the weakness inside of me
    I'm so scared of letting go
    That the pain I've hid will show
    I know you want to hear me speak
    But I'm afraid that if I start to
    I'll never stop
    I want you to know
    You belong in my life
    I love the hope
    I see in your eyes
    For you I would fly
    At least I would try
    For you I'll take
    The last flight out
    I'm afraid that you will leave
    As my secrets have been revealed
    In my dreams you'll always stay
    Every breathing moment from now
    I know you want to hear me speak
    But I'm afraid that if I start to
    I'll never stop
    I want you to know
    You belong in my life
    I love the hope
    I see in your eyes
    For you I would fly
    At least I would try
    For you I'll take
    The last flight out
    I cannot hold back
    The truth no more
    I let you wait too long
    Although it's hard and scares me so
    A life without you scares me more
    I want you to know
    You belong in my life
    I love the hope
    I see in your eyes
    For you I would fly
    At least I would try

For you I'll take 

The last flight out

//_-

It is very difficult to maintain a relationship based solely on mistrust.

-Pierce Brosnan

Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.

-George Washington Carver

****

Author's Notes: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, then please email me with your ideas. If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	6. Ch. 6

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Six

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

//_-

****

Chapter Six

"Okay, Trowa, what was that all about?" Quatre asked once they were on the way in his limousine.

Trowa sighed and ran his hands over his face, then rested his chin in his palms. "It's a long story."

Quatre frowned. "I've _never_ seen you be so rude to a lady before! You guys seemed to be getting along fine last night, so what happened? And who is she, anyway?"

"That's just the problem! I don't know exactly who she is. I asked her to tell me last night, and she said she needed more time. I hate it that she won't trust me," Trowa said, clearly agitated.

"Well, start at the beginning. Tell me all you know."

Trowa relayed all that had happened up until the night before, and Quatre listened attentively without interrupting. He continued, "Last night, I went upstairs soon after she left because I could see that something was troubling her. Quatre, she was—" he closed his eyes in anguish, "she looked like she was in so much pain! I held her as she cried, and I felt like there was nothing I could do. She said something about running away, and I asked her what she was running from. She wouldn't tell me. She has these walls she puts up whenever I get too close. She used to shy away when I touched her, but I think we've made some progress because last night she let me hold her. But she still won't trust me!"

Quatre furrowed his brow in sympathy for his friend. "Surely she wouldn't cry in your arms and still not trust you. I thought you two were friends?"

"We are, but it's not exactly a stable friendship. We agreed that we would trust each other eventually, when we are able to."

"Then you can't rush her, Trowa, because that's what you agreed on. However, I think that she does trust you. Maybe she's afraid to tell you because she thinks you won't care for her anymore if you knew the real Averil," Quatre said in a flow of intuition.

"I'm beginning to believe that it won't matter who she is or what she's done. I already care about her, and nothing's going to change that. It's just I want to know who has hurt her. Who is after her?"

"This just seems so simple to me," Quatre said, spreading his hands in his enthusiasm. "Just tell her that you care and that whatever she tells you won't matter. Tell her you want to help her . . . protect her," he encouraged.

Trowa nodded, thankful for someone to talk to who so easily understood a situation with few details. "Thanks, Quatre. I'll put it into consideration."

"Good!" Quatre smiled brightly, sensing that the subject was closed for the time being. "Now let's enjoy ourselves. It's not everyday that my friend Trowa visits." 

Trowa smiled, feeling some of the stress from last night easing off his shoulders.

//_-

Catherine spun around in surprise as Morgan and Boris came busting through the door. She stood, eyes wide in terror at the sight of Hachi—the young girl—who was held in the unyielding grasp of Boris. Catherine made quick eye contact with her and realized that she had unknowingly told the men too much. "What is going on?" Catherine demanded in a voice that betrayed none of her fear.

Morgan smiled like a snake. "We've just come for some answers," he said casually, then he hissed, "but this time we're not accepting any of your little lies." He closed the door, and the sound echoed in Catherine's ears like the sealing of her own coffin. She licked her lips, trying to think of a plan.

In a sudden movement, Boris pulled a pistol from his jacket while at the same time locking Hachi in one arm. He quickly placed the gun at her head as she let out a muffled scream. "Now you just give us some answers, and no one gets hurt," he growled at Catherine, staring her down with beady black eyes.

Catherine instinctively threw out a hand. "Stop! Oh please, don't hurt her. She has nothing to do with this!" she pleaded, guilt flowing over her at her foolishness. She could have prevented this somehow.

"She's going to have a lot to do with this if you don't give us some answers now! Where is Lacy?" yelled Boris.

"I'll tell you! I promise! Just let her go," cried Catherine, trying to keep a hold on the situation.

Morgan moved forward, pulling out his own pistol and pointing it directly between Catherine's eyes. He stepped even closer, his gun only a foot away. "Let her go, Boris, she's just a little girl and she doesn't know anything. We've got this one, though," he said gruffly.

Boris pulled his gun away from Hachi's head and told her, "You tell no one about this, or we'll track you down like a dog, just like we're tracking Lacy. Got that?"

She nodded mutely, tears of terror streaming down her cheeks. He roughly pushed her towards the door, and she was out of the room in a flash. Catherine breathed a sigh of relief that Hachi would be all right. Her eyes returned to the barrel that was leveled at her face. She forced herself to speak calmly, "I am not exactly sure where she is, but she's supposed to be on Colony L4, at the Winner estate."

Once again, a grotesque smile returned to Morgan's face. He reached out and grabbed her in a vice-like grip, never letting the gun fall from its target. He spoke cruelly, "Since we don't know whether you're telling the truth or not, 'cause you seem to enjoy lying so much, we're taking you with us."

Catherine closed her eyes, sending up a prayer for her own safety. She knew everything would turn out all right. Trowa would not appreciate any threats to his loved ones, and these guys would never know what hit them.

//_-

"Nooo!" Averil jerked violently awake, sitting up and clutching her head in her hands. "Oh God, no, please don't let this happen," she pleaded. She'd quickly realized that it was a nightmare—a very horrible and realistic nightmare. Somehow the big boys had found out where she was, and they had taken Catherine hostage. _No! I didn't mean to get her involved in this!_ She began a frenzied sobbing, beating her fists on the bed. It seemed no matter what she did, she was always putting people in danger. She had to do something! But whom could she turn to? She stopped sobbing as suddenly as she had started. Her eyes traveled to the wall separating her from Trowa's room. Surely he was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the fears that plagued her. Should she go wake him? 

It would be awkward, because they had somehow managed to avoid each other the whole day. Trowa and Quatre had stayed out for several hours, then they had gone to dinner together, leaving her and Jazmin to themselves. Averil had gone to bed early in order to have some more time to think. She had made the decision to take Jazmin's advice and tell Trowa everything, but she needed just one more night to sort things out, so she had avoided him. Now all she wanted to do was go talk to him, apologize, and let him comfort her like he had the night before. That is—if he would still want anything to do with her. She quickly repressed that negative thought and other ones like it. She had nothing left to do but hope that Trowa would understand. Yet it didn't help her to be any braver.

She stepped out of the bed and onto the cold floor, shivering in the slightly cool night air. Wiping the remaining tears from her eyes, she made her way to Trowa's door. She checked her watch. It was nearly midnight. He might still be awake. No answer came from inside when she tapped lightly on the door. Clinging to her courage like a concealing blanket, Averil quietly opened the door and stepped inside, closing it softly behind her. The moon lit up the room enough so that she could see Trowa lying in the bed, one half of his face silver from the moonlight, the other buried in shadows. His dark lashes fanned his cheek—he was asleep. She crept softly up to his bed and stood, a little unsure of how to wake him. However, she never had to try, because somehow Trowa knew she was there. He opened his eyes sleepily, turning to look up at her expectantly and not a little curiously.

Suddenly, her courage fell to her feet, leaving her with the excruciating nakedness of her own weakness and sadness, which in turn caused her voice and lips to tremble as she whispered, "Trowa?"

He sat up quickly. "What is it, Averil?" he asked, pulling her sweetly into his arms, all bruised feelings forgotten at the sight of her pain.  
She looked him in the eyes, expecting anger or irritation, but seeing concern and compassion. She sighed and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, then she laid her cheek against his chest. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He allowed her sweetness to blissfully sink in for one glorious moment of eternity. He didn't realize how great the tension between them had been when they weren't talking. He then nuzzled her neck and murmured back, "So am I."

She pulled away to look him in the eyes, still expecting a different response. "All's forgiven?"

"All's forgiven."

"Good, then I can say what I really came over here to say."

"What's that?" he asked, unable to keep from smiling, and thinking that she'd never looked so beautiful with her hair mussed from sleep, the glow of moonlight on her ivory skin, and a watery smile illuminating her face.

"I'm ready to tell you everything," she stated bluntly.

He jerked a little in surprise, his hands tightening on her waist. He moved her so that she leaned against the headboard beside him. "What made you change your mind?" he asked.

"Just now I had a really awful nightmare," she said, her voice trembling again. Trowa reflexively wrapped an arm around her and smoothed her hair away from her tear-stained cheeks. "Trowa, I'm really scared."

"What are you afraid of?" he asked, exulting in the fact that, contrary to what he had thought, she did trust him.

"I-I'm being chased, or hunted down, depending upon if they know where I am."

"'They?'" he asked hesitantly, realizing that they had returned to where they left off the night before. This was shaky ground.

Averil let out a breath, finding it easier to talk than she thought it would be. Trowa was so gentle. She continued, "Let me just start at the beginning. Trowa, the name that you would probably recognize me by is Lacy Kraten, daughter of multimillionaire Xavier Kraten who owns Equus Wagers." She paused, waiting for his reaction.

"So that's why you looked familiar," Trowa commented, echoing what Catherine had said. "But why are you running?" He quickly began to bring up every fact that he knew about Kraten and his business, trying to figure out this mystery.

Averil stared down at her hands twisting in her lap. "I-I . . ." Ugh! All of her worries came back, and she couldn't find the words to say it. Trowa, realizing her dismay, reached with his free hand and took one of her hands in his own, intimately lacing their fingers—effectively yet silently letting Averil know that he would not judge her. Her worries vanished and she continued, "I am not really Kraten's daughter. He is only my stepfather. My real father died from a heart attack when I was ten. My mother only married Kraten because he sought after her, and she was too meek to refuse him. He's a very forceful man. He only wanted her for her looks and her social status. My father's family was the greatest horse breeders since the beginning of the colonies, and my father even more greatly heightened the name of O'Hare. You see my real name _is_ Averil O'Hare, so I never lied about that. Lacy is my middle name, and Kraten wanted me to go by it because he thought it fit my character better. Rather, it fit the person that he wanted me to be. But I'm not really that person, Trowa! I'm not like that at all!"

"And who is that person?" he asked patiently.

"The one you saw on TV all the time—the one who wears the fancy dresses and hats with her nose high in the air, that's Lacy. Kraten made me be someone I'm not. He used my looks to bribe the jockeys of the most highly betted on horses to lose so that he'd take in all the bets placed in Equus Wagers."

"What did he make you do?"

"I had to be their escort for a night of lavish, aristocratic parties for a bunch of snobs. I never slept with them, though Kraten tried to convince me," she spat out bitterly. Trowa gritted his teeth together in anger. "Yet I'm not so vain to think that they'd purposely lose a race just because of me. Kraten also paid them large sums of money, though their payment didn't even compare to the money he piled in from it. Sometimes he used what he called 'persuasion.' In other words, he'd threaten them if they wouldn't agree. My job was to give the men false promises, and they almost always fell for it! It appeared that I always had a new 'flavor of the week.'"

"How did Kraten force you to do it?"

She frowned. "He threatened to hurt me or my mom. But I'm not innocent! I could've done something!" she cried passionately, "I just ran from it instead!" She pulled her hands from his and covered her face in shame and despair.

"Has he hurt your mother since you left?"

"I don't know! All I know is that he's sent out his big boys, Morgan and Boris, to hunt me down. I don't know what will happen if they find me."

Fear clutched at Trowa's heart, and he pulled her closer. He had never in his entire life feared for his own safety, but for the people he loved . . . "Has Kraten ever followed through on any of his threats before?"

Averil dropped her hands, and her eyes, filled with trepidation, were enough to answer his question. "Yes, he's killed several men before." Once again she lowered her head in shame, "And I just stood and watched it happen. I didn't call the police or anything! I'm such a coward!" She wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his chest. 

Trowa returned the embrace, holding her a moment before saying, "I'm sure that if you would have had someone to protect you, that you would have been brave enough to stand up to Kraten and turn him in." _If only I had been there . . . _

"But I wasn't. I wanted to make things right. I still do. I want to turn Kraten in, but I'm worried about my mom. I'd have to get her safe first. And I'm so scared of him, nearly as much as my mother is. Will you help me, Trowa? You're the only person I know that could protect me . . . I can't do this without you."

Trowa lifted Averil's chin so that green could meet violet, their hands quickly interlocking again. "I will," he promised, so intensely that a thousand promises could have been made in those two words. Although he didn't talk much, when he did, it was worth the time to listen. Waves of newfound strength and courage washed over Averil with an almost physical force, causing her to close her eyes at the exquisite and unfamiliar sensation. She was amazed at how one person could so perfectly embody every hope and dream she'd ever had—a man who gave her respect, protection, affection, and unconditional love. A delighted tremor raced through her body as she felt him press his lips warmly to her tearstained cheeks. With one sweep of his strong arms, she was lifted and cradled against him. His eyes rarely left hers as he carried her to her bed and pulled the covers around her.

He wanted so badly to kiss her, to tell her in that unspoken way how fierce and sincere his vow was. It was eminently more meaningful for him to communicate by _doing_ something, rather than just saying it. Words could be so false. Yet in this case, he didn't think Averil was ready for that kind of touch. He wasn't doing this for her body—he was doing it for _her_, and she was so much more than just a beautiful body. She had a soul—sweet and hopeful and caring. She had to know that everything about her was special to him before he pursued her in that way. One day she would not be so fragile, but for now her pain and the memories were still too keen. So instead of kissing her, he ran one hand through the silky red locks that had become so beloved to him, deeming it inadequate, but appropriate. "We'll make plans in the morning. Is that alright?" he asked.

"Yes . . . and thank you," she murmured, feeling incredibly cherished.

With one last stroke of her hair, he stood and bid her goodnight, leaving her to sleep serenely once again. 

//_-

****

I Will Rescue You

By Plus One

When your days are dark

And your nights are cold

When you've just about 

Lost all your faith

When your will is gone

And your heart is torn

'Cause nothing is going your way

When the world has 

Got you trapped

And you can't find that open door

If you're ever in a battle

And you just can't fight no more

I will rescue you

I will rescue you

I will shelter you from the rain

I will dry your tears

Cast away your fears

And bring you to brighter days

Whenever you're lost and confused

Like a fairy tale come true

I will rescue you

If you ever feel 

That you can't go on

When your life just 

Becomes too hard

And the dreams you thought

Were within your reach

Suddenly seem so far

When the world is on your case

And you don't have 

A place to run

If the storm keeps getting stronger

And you cannot see the sun

I will rescue you

I will rescue you

I will shelter you from the rain

I will dry your tears

Cast away your fears

And bring you to brighter days

Whenever you're lost and confused

Like a fairy tale come true

I will rescue you

And it don't matter where you are

I'll be by your side

Oh yes I will

I'll be the rock that you can lean on 

I'll be your guide

I will rescue you

I will rescue you

I will shelter you from the rain

I will dry your tears

Cast away your fears

And bring you to brighter days

Whenever you're lost and confused

Like a fairy tale come true

I will rescue you

Just reach for me

And I will rescue you

//_-

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.

-Zora Neale Hurston

The first symptom of love in a young man is timidity; in a girl boldness.

-Victor Hugo

It is better to be loved than feared.

-Senegalese saying

Love takes off the mask that we fear we cannot live with and know we cannot live without.

-Robert Slater

Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weakness.

-Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Marquise du Deffand

****

Author's Notes: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, then please email me with your ideas. If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	7. Ch. 7

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Seven

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

//_-

****

Chapter Seven

A small figure padded quietly down the halls of the estate, dwarfed even more from his already short stature by the towering walls of the corridors. A dim light leaked through the eastern doors, enabling him to see somewhat clearly. Yet even if the whole house had been immersed in blackness, he would still know his way around enough to make it safely to the office. 

Once again, sleep torturously eluded him. He was almost sick of worrying about everything, but this something, rather some_one_, who had captured his concern, was certainly worthy of his suffering. He had been trying for days to decipher what it was that was bothering Jazmin, but just as sleep evaded him, so did the answer.

He needed a distraction. Settling into his black leather swivel chair, he drowsily reached for the remote and turned on the television. He flipped carelessly through the channels, seeking something that would lull him to sleep, eventually deciding upon the news. Nothing tremendous had been happening lately, mostly due to the Preventers efforts, so surely this would be the right channel. He situated himself more comfortably in the chair, propping his feet on the desk and preparing himself for the doze that should soon follow. He let the drone of the reporters' lure him deeper into lethargy, only vaguely listening as he watched the flickering colors that reflected on the polished desktop.

"Last night, it was reported that the trend-setting Lacy Kraten, stepdaughter of Xavier Kraten, who owns the wildly successful Equus Wagers, has been reported missing since one month ago from today. The young beauty appears to have been kidnapped, allegedly in an attempt to ransom large amounts of money from Mr. Kraten."

Quatre hastily removed his feet from the desktop and gaped in shock at the picture on the screen. No trace of earlier exhaustion was present in the alert frame that leaned closer for a better look. Staring him straight in the eyes, rather flirtatiously at that, was a girl with an unmistakable resemblance to Averil. Heck! It _was_ Averil, no doubt about it. He blinked several times, but the image remained. Her chin was tilted coyly, and she wore a large white hat that contrasted her shining scarlet tresses. Her lacy, intricately detailed dress was also white, and she held up a matching parasol in satin-gloved hands. The effect was charming, making her appear as if she was pleading to be taken on a walk through sunlit gardens. But Quatre did notice something peculiar. Her alluring smile did not reach up to her eyes. Instead, they appeared hollow and vacant, with an almost untraceable hint of torment hiding in the corners. 

The picture moved from the middle of the screen and shrunk as it flew to the top right-hand corner. Then a solid wall of a man was revealed, with one massive arm wrapped possessively around a petite woman with titian hair like Averil's. Quatre assumed it was her mother. His attention was drawn back to the man who towered head and shoulders above his wife and the reporter. His thick salt and pepper hair was combed back in a wave, and his face was shaved clean. He wore a spotless, perfectly pressed pinstriped suit, and his eyes were two piercing, cold spheres of steel gray. The reporter asked him to make a statement:

"Whoever it is that has taken our dear Lacy will pay, not us. I've sent out my best men to track her down, and they _will _find her," he boomed forcefully. "I would like to ask that anyone who has information on her whereabouts or who is questioned by my search party that you would please be as cooperative and informative as possible," he said, leaving no room for disobedience, then flippantly, "I have no other comment."

The reporter raised her brows, clearly awed by this man of such height and firmness. Then she asked, "May we have a statement from Mrs. Kraten?"

Kraten lowered his eyes down to the reporter's level as if it were degrading to do so, frowned in total reluctance to let his wife speak, but gave a gruff reply of "go ahead" as if they should all be thankful that he did so.

The reporter raised the microphone towards the timid woman, and she hesitantly and softly pleaded, "Lacy, please," she wet her lips, "come back to us. We miss you very much, and I-we need you." She looked up quickly to catch her husband glaring at her, so she promptly added on, "Whoever it is that's taken you _will_ be found and they will receive justice." She finished with a note of strength and hope, and the camera was returned back to the news headquarters.

The reporter continued, "In just the last few hours, we have received an update from Mr. Kraten's search party declaring that they have a probable location, from a reliable source, on where she is, and at this moment are headed towards that area. More news on this situation will be revealed as soon as possible." 

Quatre turned off the TV and dazedly sat back in his chair, his eyes blank with continuing disbelief. Boy, when he'd asked for a distraction, he didn't think he'd be given anything like this! Was Averil as innocent as she seemed? It certainly appeared that she was here of her own accord, and if she wasn't, then Trowa would have to be the kidnapper, which was simply ludicrous. He laughed at the thought, but the strain in his thoughts quickly returned. If Averil hadn't been kidnapped, then she was definitely lying . . . or else Xavier Kraten was lying. He couldn't help but think that Averil seemed less suspicious. Quatre closed his eyes and folded his hands over his heart, reviewing the bits and pieces that he had seen and heard about the redhead. A moment later he opened his eyes and smiled assuredly. Averil was trustworthy. He could just feel it.

Now what to do about Trowa—should he go out and tell him what he had learned of Averil's true identity? He wished that Averil would tell him herself. It had turned out that his intuitions were probably right. Averil must be afraid that Trowa would not care for her if he knew that she was Lacy Kraten. But what had Lacy done that would lose Trowa's respect, besides lying about her identity? And why had she lied?

There was a light knock on the door, and Quatre looked up in alarm as the cause of his insomnia entered the room. "Jazmin!" he exclaimed.

"Good morning, Quatre," she said in her smooth voice, "What are you doing up so early?"

"Well, I-," he couldn't really tell her that she had given him permanent insomnia so he said vaguely, "I just couldn't sleep."

"Oh," she paused, finally deciding to step further into the room, "I couldn't sleep either."

"Come on," Quatre said, standing, "Let's sit on the couch and talk. I'm afraid we have a problem on our hands—or, at least, I'd like your advice, if that's okay?"

She smiled softly. "Of course it is. So what's the problem?" she asked, curling up next to him on the black leather couch.

He leaned his head back and massaged the bridge of his nose. He might as well go right to the point. "Averil isn't who she says she is. She's really—"

"—Lacy Kraten," they finished together.

Quatre looked over at her, startled. 

"I recognized her from the start, Quatre. We talked. Everything's going to be fine, and she says she'll tell Trowa."

"But how did you know that I was automatically worried about that?" he inquired in confusion.

She smiled. "As your personal assistant, it is my job to know what your concerns in business are, so I learn to know what they are in your personal life as well."

He smiled meltingly and laid his hand on hers in gratitude, eliciting a deep blush from the brunette. Then his brow furrowed in thought. "So why is Averil keeping her identity a secret in the first place?"

Jazmin quickly told Quatre all that she knew, specifically that she was in danger. As soon as he heard that, he straightened in alertness.

"What is it?" asked Jazmin.

"Well, I just saw a report about her on the news, and they say she's being held hostage and that they have an idea of where she is."

Jazmin's eyes widened. "They're lying! I don't know exactly what is going on, but we've got to tell Trowa and Averil right now."

"Wait! Trowa doesn't know the truth about Averil yet, and it's not our place to tell him."

"Okay, then we'll tell Averil first. I trust her. Do you?"

"Yes," Quatre replied confidently.

//_-

_"Come on, Trowa, let's run away," Averil said sultrily._

She stood before him in a white peasant dress, offering him her hand. He gazed up at her from the sand he was sitting on. The sunset on the ocean behind her gave the picture she made an even more ethereal beauty.

"Run away with me, Trowa. We have to run away," she told him in the same low, seductive tone.

Trowa smiled and answered, "Then let's go, just you and me_."_

"Huh?" 

Trowa's eyes opened to reveal the girl of his dreams. "Huh?" he echoed in confusion.

Her eyes were brimming with disquiet. "Trowa, I said we have to get out of here. They know where I am now."

There was no time for him to be embarrassed about talking in his sleep . . . or about his dream for that matter . . . he sat up, never letting his eyes stray from hers. Of their own accord, his hands reached out to grab hers and pull her to him. "What's going on?"

She glanced nervously towards the doorway, and Trowa realized they had an audience. Quatre and Jazmin stood waiting. Trowa and Averil turned back to each other. She pulled her hands from his grasp and said, "Quatre tells me that they're broadcasting my disappearance on the news, and Kraten's lying, saying that I've been kidnapped. But worst of all, they're claiming to know where I am and that they're on their way. I don't know if it's true or not, but we have to get out of here nonetheless."

Trowa threw the covers off and reached for a shirt, unabashed by the fact he wore only boxers. In the circus no one worried about modesty. You were all one big happy family. If Averil had not have been so anxious, she would have laughed at the expression on Jazmin's face. Good, she wasn't the only person who blushed easily. 

"Have you called Catherine, Quatre?" Trowa asked obliviously as he pulled on some pants.

"No, we just now woke up Averil, so I'll leave that up to you. I'm going to make whatever arrangements are necessary while Jazmin and Averil wait for the news to cover the story again. So let's all go to my office." He turned to lead the way and Jazmin followed close behind.

When they were out of sight, Trowa turned to Averil and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes in concern. "Are you alright?"

She smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'll be okay just as long as you're here with me."

Trowa pulled her to him and enveloped her in his arms. "If you need someone to tell you everything will be alright, then I'll tell you as much as you need me to. I don't plan on leaving you anytime soon." Then he added wryly, "It seems that I've become emotionally involved."

Averil smiled, thrilled and speechless, even in the midst of her apprehension.

//_-

Quatre's office was a flurry of activity. Averil anxiously paced back and forth across the room while Trowa attempted to contact Catherine. Quatre issued orders on his cell-phone. Jazmin perched gravely on the couch, ready to alert the rest if the news should cover the story again.

Quatre sighed as he finished his calls, at the same time stopping Averil in her relentless path. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to the couch. "Sit down and relax."

She bit her lip and continued to look worried.

"Actually, we need to get on the move, Quatre," Trowa said, striding over to stand behind the couch.

"Okay . . . is there something wrong?" Quatre frowned, noticing Trowa's strained tone and wan expression.

"They've got Catherine," he answered.

"What?!" Averil cried, turning to look at him.

"They told me that she left yesterday with two men, saying she'd return as soon as possible. She didn't say where she was going. They were reluctant to let her go, but she _insisted _. . . uugghh!" he groaned, clenching his jaw to restrain a torrent of curses.

"This is all my fault!" Averil wailed, "I shouldn't have given her so much information!"

"It wasn't your fault, Averil," Trowa soothed.

She hung her head despairingly. "Where are we gonna go?"

"Well, until I come up with a plan, I think we'll stay at Duo's. Quatre, could you prepare your shuttle for us and load a motorcycle on there, too? I'll call Duo."

"The shuttle's already been prepared!" Quatre exclaimed proudly. Trowa nodded, not surprised.

"Hey you guys!" Jazmin exclaimed, "The news report is back on again." Everyone congregated on the couch, attentive to any updates. Trowa and Averil, of course, wanted to know exactly what had been said. After the broadcast, the reporter announced that they had been told that Miss Kraten and her "captor" were on Colony L4, and that the search party would be arriving there shortly.

"Averil, you better pack your bags. We have to get out of here," said Trowa.

"What do you want me to tell them if they come here?" asked Quatre.

"I don't know yet. I'll call you from Duo's."

Averil turned grateful eyes to Jazmin and Quatre, "Thanks you guys for all of your help." She hugged Jazmin, then stood and hugged Quatre, too.

"I'll get everything ready for you, Trowa. Don't worry, and I'll call Duo, too, so that you can pack," Quatre said.

"Thanks," he said simply, then turned to Averil, gently taking hold of her hand. "Come on, let's go." She smiled while Quatre and Jazmin shared a knowing look.

//_-

****

Author's Notes: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, then please email me with your ideas. If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	8. Ch. 8

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Eight

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

****

Author's Notes: Oh no, Kilmeny's attempting to write an action scene! I hope it's not too confusing or unbelievable, but come on, they're Gundam pilots. Anyway, enjoy the action. And as always, suggestions would be appreciated.

//_-

****

Chapter Eight

Duo whistled merrily as he chopped up a pile of mushrooms for his rather large omelet. He smiled widely when he heard the front door shut—Hilde was here. 

"Morning, Duo," she chirped as she dropped her purse on a chair and came to stand beside him at the stove. 

"You keep on getting here earlier and earlier. It's only eight A.M."

"Yeah, but I just can't get enough of you," she laughed.

"Believe me, I know _exactly_ how you feel," he replied, slipping an arm around her waist and kissing her soundly. 

Afterwards, Hilde locked her arms around his neck. "I could really get used to this every morning."

He chuckled, "Ditto."

"So is there enough for me?" she asked, looking hungrily into the frying pan.

He grinned. "Of course, Hilde-babe."

"Good," she said, releasing him and plopping down in a chair. "Why are you up so early? I figured I'd have to wake you."

"Well, I just got a call from Quatre. It seems that Trowa and a friend of his need a hideout, so of course I'll let them stay here."

"Of course," Hilde agreed. "What kind of trouble?"

"I don't know yet. He said that he would leave Trowa's secrets up to him to tell."

"Is it alright if I stick around until they get here? Otherwise, my curiosity might kill me."

"Yeah, I'm sure Trowa won't mind . . . and I certainly won't." He smiled shyly, still a little amazed at the new direction in their relationship.

Hilde beamed.

//_-

A few hours later, a motorcycle pulled up to Duo's house. Duo and Hilde stepped out to greet Trowa and his mysterious companion. When Averil pulled off her helmet, Duo smiled inwardly, not surprised at all. Yep, trouble usually came in the form of a woman. "Hey my man!" he called, striding forward to clasp Trowa's hand in a firm handshake.

"Thank you, Duo, for agreeing to take us in," said Trowa.

"No problem! Anything for my friends . . . so, who's the lovely lady?" he asked, giving Averil a charming smile. She smiled back shyly.

"This is Averil O'Hare . . . and it's a long story which would be better told inside."

"Then let's get to it. Come on in." Once inside and seated in the living room, Duo motioned to Hilde. "Trowa, I know you and Hilde have met before, but Averil, this is my fiancée Hilde Schbeiker." He took her left hand and waved the ring around proudly. Hilde laughed and pulled away half-heartedly.

Averil sat forward on her seat. "Oh let me see!" she exclaimed, and Hilde showed no reluctance in displaying her ring. "It's beautiful."

"I know," laughed Hilde. 

"Congratulations, Duo," said Trowa, "Hilde . . . best of luck. You deserve a lot of respect for what you're willingly getting into."

Hilde laughed again as Duo whined, "Why does everyone say that?! You're the fifth person that's said that already."

Trowa smiled slightly and gave him no answer, then he commented, "You guys are rather young to get married."

"Yeah, well, we haven't been living together since our feelings changed," answered Duo, and the couple shared a mushy look, "and I gotta say that I really miss her around here. So we just don't want to wait."

Trowa nodded, "Makes sense." Averil sighed . . . so romantic . . . warm fuzzies.

"Alright, let's get down to business, man," said Duo, "What's your story?"

//_-

An hour later, Duo leaned back on the couch and gave a low whistle. "Boy am I glad I'm not in your shoes. What're you guys gonna do?"

"I'm not sure," answered Averil. "We have to save Catherine and my mother, but I don't know how."

"That's easy," said Duo eagerly, "You kick his a-"

"Duoooo," warned Hilde.

Duo smirked, "Well that's what I'd do."

"Actually, I'm inclined to do just that," remarked Trowa suddenly. Averil bit her lip, immediately worried.

"Great!" exclaimed Duo, rubbing his hands together, "You're going to let me in on the fun, too, aren't you?"

"I think I could make you useful," said Trowa calmly.

"Wait you guys!" Averil fretted, "You don't know what you're getting into."

"No, no, no," Duo shook his head, "_they_ didn't know what they were getting into when they decided to cross the Gundam pilots."

"Duo's right, Averil," said Trowa, looking her in the eyes, "There's nothing to worry about. No one will get hurt. You trust me, right?"

"Right."

"Then you'll go along with whatever plan we come up with?"

"Yes," she nodded this time and made herself take a deep breath. Everything would be fine.

//_-

"So did you guys make it there safe and sound?" asked Quatre from the vidphone.

"Yes," Trowa affirmed, "Do you know yet whether or not the search party has landed on L4?"

"Not yet, but they could be here anytime now. Have you decided what you want me to tell them when they get here?"

"I trust that they won't attack you since you'll have the Maguanacs protecting you, but be cordial. Duo and I spent today creating a strategy to get Catherine back. What you can tell them is to meet us on the roof of the Cruze building there on L4."

"Is there anything else I should tell them?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah, there are a few other things. We're gonna offer them a deal they can't resist . . ."

//_-

"When are you going to get back, Duo?" Hilde asked, phone cradled against her shoulder so that she could properly file her nails.

Duo squinted up at the night sky on L4 in thought, then he casually stated, "This should only take an hour or so. Then there's the three-hour shuttle ride back, so about four hours, honey."

"Okay, don't get yourself killed."

Duo feigned hurt, "Moi? _The_ God of Death? You wound my pride, Hilde."

She laughed, "Just threshing the wheat as usual, right?" 

"All in a day's work," he preened. 

"Alright then. I'll see you in four hours. Love ya."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Hilde gingerly set her phone down and continued to calmly file her nails. Duo slipped his cell-phone in his pocket and turned to the others. "Well where are they?"

"See for yourself," said Trowa.

Duo turned to face the group of men—he counted twelve—making their way to the middle of the roof. He refrained from cracking his knuckles. All in due time . . .

Averil involuntarily shrunk closer to Trowa, who was standing against her back. The wind whipped her hair into her face, and he reached up a hand to brush it away. She kept her own hands together behind her back.

Two men stepped forward from the burly bunch. One led a hand-tied Catherine into view. Trowa remained stolid, pushing Averil forward with him so that she appeared to also have her hands tied.

"Looks like we both have something the other wants," leered Morgan.

"Looks like it," Trowa remarked casually. 

"So hand her over," demanded Boris, pushing Catherine forward roughly in exchange.

Trowa stepped up with Averil in front of him. Boris released Catherine so that he could pull Averil to him. Suddenly, Trowa lifted up Averil's right hand, and Boris was looking down the barrel of a gun. Averil released her hold on the gun and spun around behind Trowa so that he could have a better grip. Boris stood stunned, and Morgan began to reach for his gun, but he stopped at the sound of cracking knuckles. Morgan turned around just in time to receive a solid blow from Duo. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious. 

Averil had almost forgotten her duty in the excitement of the moment. Just in time, she remembered to grab Catherine by the arm and run with her over to the other side of the roof, where she produced a knife and cut her bonds. "Put this on," said Averil hurriedly, shakily handing Catherine a parachute that had been hidden under some boards.

Meanwhile, Trowa lowered the gun and gave Boris no time to react before kicking him down to the ground. He dropped to the ground as one of the men from the group attempted to strike him down, then he kicked the man's legs out from under him, and the man bit the dust. As soon as Trowa rose, he kicked a gun out of the next man's hand, grabbed him by the shoulders, and kneed him in the stomach. Three down, three to go. The fourth put up more of a fight. Trowa dodged and blocked his punches before sending him flying into the wall. The last two attacked him from both sides. Before they knew what was happening, he had jumped and flipped over their heads so that he was behind one of them, a gun to his back. The man stiffened and Trowa knocked him out with the butt of the gun. The last man charged him, but Trowa easily caught him and flipped him onto his back so hard that the man's breath was knocked out of him.

At the same time, Duo eagerly took on the other six men. After knocking out Morgan, he twirled and readied a black wooden pole that he had been holding. The pole resembled a scythe in length and color, only without the blades on the end. He easily leveled the first man by knocking his feet out from under him. He jammed the pole into the stomach of the next man. The last three stayed clear of the pole and reached for their guns. Duo stooped down, picked up gravel, and threw it in one's eyes. As the man clawed at the stinging sand, Duo brought down the pole with such force over his head that it shattered and splinters flew. "Oops!" he laughed, throwing down the remaining pieces and running around the other two to escape the path of their guns, not overly concerned. From his pocket he pulled a small bomb and released it with his teeth, sending it flying at the two left standing in the midst of the other fallen bodies. "Trowa, come on!" he shouted, running towards the two girls. Trowa had just finished with his last man and swiftly caught up with him.

"They won't be down long. That type of bomb is really only meant to stun," cried Duo as he found his hidden "helicopter" where Catherine's parachute had been. This device resembled an umbrella, only it had a propeller on the end instead that would allow him to float safely to the ground. "We're splitting up, so Catherine you come with me."

Trowa and Duo had chosen to meet the search party on top of the Cruze building because of its strategic location. This was the tallest building on L4, meaning it would take a longer time for the search party to get down all the stories to catch them. It also had room on one side to parachute, or "helicopter," off of. The other side had a fire escape leading to a maze of alleyways. This is where Trowa and Averil would go. Duo and Catherine wasted no time in making their escape. They jumped off the ledge simultaneously.

The other two had no time to see if Duo and Catherine made it down safely. Trowa seized Averil's hand and ran with her to the fire escape, pushing her down onto the ladder to go first. Once they had reached the eighth floor, some of the men had begun to follow them down the fire escape, firing shots at them randomly. Averil screamed. "Keep going!" shouted Trowa above her. On the fourth floor, Trowa flipped off the escape and caught the protruding balcony on the second floor. He then dropped safely to the ground, able to catch his fall perfectly because of his acrobatic training. 

"Trowa!" screamed Averil, afraid of being left behind.

"Jump, I'll catch you," he yelled.

She started to hesitate, but then a bullet whizzed past her ear and made a loud _ping_ on the iron railing next to her arm. _If I'm going to die_, she thought morbidly,_ I'd rather die in Trowa's arms after hitting the ground then up on this cold railing by myself from a bullet_. Thus decided, she turned and made eye contact with Trowa. 

_Now_, he mouthed, and, with only her trust taking her this far, she let go of the railing. Their eyes never left each other's as she sailed gracefully down to him. To Trowa, it seemed to happen in slow motion. He could not wait to have her safe in his arms again. Oh, finally, finally, she slid into his arms. He caught her weight, breaking the impact, but he still stumbled and fell onto his back. Then he was feeling her for any blood or broken bones, and all he felt was incredible softness. "You're alright," he said quietly, incredulously.

"Are you?" she asked, eyes wild.

"Yes," he answered, and her eyes filled with relief. She wanted to kiss him all over, but they had to keep running.

//_-

****

Falling Into You 

By Billy Steinberg, Rick Nowels, & Marie Claire D'Ubaldo

Performed by Celine Dion  
  
And in your eyes I see ribbons of color  
I see us inside of each other  
I feel my unconscious merge with yours  
And I hear a voice say, "What's his is hers"  
  
I'm falling into you  
This dream could come true  
And it feels so good falling into you  
  
I was afraid to let you in here  
Now I have learned love can't be made in fear  
The walls begin to tumble down  
And I can't even see the ground  
  
I'm falling into you  
This dream could come true  
And it feels so good falling into you

  
Falling like a leaf, falling like a star  
Finding a belief, falling where you are

Catch me, don't let me drop!  
Love me, don't ever stop!  
  
So close your eyes and let me kiss you  
And while you sleep I will miss you  
  
Oh I'm falling into you  
This dream could come true  
And it feels so good falling into you  
  
Falling like a leaf, falling like a star  
Finding a belief, falling where you are  
  
Falling into you  
Falling into you  
Falling into you, yeah

//_-

. . . the one I trust is the one I love . . . the one she loves is definitely the one she can trust.

-Bill Cosby

****

Author's Notes: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you know of any Trowa sites or good Gundam Wing fanfiction sites where I can post this fic, then please email me with your ideas. If you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

To Be Continued


	9. Ch. 9

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Nine

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

****

Author's Notes: Warning! This chapter is full of mushy stuff, but I hope it turned out all right. In any case, it's about time!

//_-

****

Chapter Nine

Trowa pulled Averil up from the dirty street, and he kept a hold on her hand as they ran through the maze of alleyways. It seemed that their direction was aimless, but he knew exactly where he was going. They just had to lose the guys on their tail first. Once the distance had lessened considerably, he pulled her into a very dark alleyway, far from any streetlights. 

"Trowa, what are you doing?!" she whispered loudly, "This is a dead-end."

"Relax," he said, leading her about midway down the alleyway before pushing her gently against the wall.

"They're going to pass by any moment, and there's nothing to hide behind," she whispered frantically.

"Put your arms around my neck," he told her.

"What?!" 

When she failed to do what he had asked, he took her arms and placed them around his neck, caressing them with the backs of his hands as he slid his hands down to her waist. Then he whispered in her ear, "Just play along. If they see us when they pass by, they'll think we're strangers . . . well . . . making out."

Averil blushed brightly, but surprised Trowa when she caught on quickly by running her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. This type of behavior had been routine for her as Lacy, only it had held a different purpose. And it had also held a different feeling. Now, she felt every nerve burst into flame, supersensitive as Trowa brushed his lips across her neck, squeezing her waist softly. In no time, he was affected as well, blood pounding in his ears. Averil slid her hands down to his biceps, heart pounding in her chest.

Suddenly, Trowa found himself actually kissing her neck, tasting her sweet skin. She gripped his arms tightly in response, perhaps surprised or excited, he didn't know. All he knew was that he couldn't get enough of her. If any of the men caught them now, he decided that he would feel no qualms in shooting them.

"Trowa, Trowa," she had to say it twice before he stopped what he was doing to look up at her. "I can see one coming. We have to hide my face."

Trowa stared into her eyes only a moment before pressing his lips against hers. She stiffened in surprise, but quickly responded. Well if that was the way he wanted to do it . . . her hands flew back up into his hair again as Trowa's arms wrapped firmly around her waist. He had to restrain himself from passionately crushing her against the wall. _I can't do it like that. This is only to protect her_, he reminded himself, knowing full well that he was lying. If only this wasn't just an act.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying not to let it mean anything to her. He dragged his lips oh-so-slowly across hers, then lifted them away in several short, feather-light kisses. Each one seemed to send a shock through her entire being. The rational side of her brain was well aware that the search party was passing by at that very moment. She hoped they would dismiss them as strangers. Yet every other part of her was only capable of sensing Trowa—his hands caressing her waist and back, his lips teasing hers, his masculine smell pushing out all normal thought, and his body heat scorching her deep inside. Did he have any idea of the havoc he would leave her in?

_Is there anything in the world more soft and sweet than this?!_ Trowa thought blissfully of Averil. He felt himself sinking deeper and deeper. Why was he still kissing her? He knew that the men were gone. Their footsteps had faded away minutes ago, but he didn't want this moment to end. He was afraid this would be his only chance to feel Averil like this. This was merely a charade to her. And so he must act the part. Quickly, he pulled away, dropping his hands and taking a step back. His masked expression was already in place. They were both breathing hard though. His heart ached as he caught a glimpse of the light in Averil's eyes dimming. Surely she wished that he had hid her in a different way. Had he taken advantage of her?

Her eyes lowered and she said not a word. Trowa had only been acting the whole time. Although her mind had told her that from the start, her heart had refused to believe it until she saw his stoic expression. This meant nothing to him. Oh why, oh why did it have to mean something to her? She had kissed dozens of men before as Lacy, and never had it meant anything to her. But now, as Averil, she could no longer keep up a front. Trowa would certainly see that she had expected something more. She dreaded the thought that he might laugh at her foolish hopes. At this, she became determined. For this one last time she could play the part of Lacy, taking everything in a disinterested, unaffected stride. She must not let Trowa see her shattered dreams—dreams that she hadn't even known had existed until now. For she realized now that she had dreamed that Trowa would feel the same way about her as she did about him.

"Forgive me," said Trowa.

"For what? You only did what you had to do to protect me, and I thank you."

Trowa raised his eyes and gazed at her for a moment, trying to judge her reaction. She was poised, totally in control, almost cold. He knew that he appeared to be in control as well, but his heart still raced, urging him to tell her the truth . . . that he really cared for her. Maybe even loved her . . . _yeah, this is just rich_, he thought cynically. In the end, he merely nodded and started to walk out of the alley. She followed dolefully behind where he could not see her true feelings.

After a few turns, they came out onto an open road, leading through the countryside. Trowa pulled out his motorcycle from behind a dumpster, and Averil slid on behind him. They took off, Averil holding onto him tightly, pressing her face against the back of his jacket. All she wanted now was to be close to him, and she was afraid that every opportunity that she had would be the last, so she savored the moment. She heard a wild whoop behind them and turned her head to see Duo and Catherine catching up with them on his motorcycle. She smiled, relieved that everyone had made it out safely. 

"Whoohoo! That is the most excitement I've had in months. Are you guys alright?" Duo yelled, riding up beside them.

"Yeah," Averil yelled back, smiling brightly at Catherine.

"Then let's get back home to my Hilde!" he shouted, speeding ahead.

//_-

Once they were safely on the shuttle, Catherine hugged Trowa tightly. "I knew everything would be alright," she said joyfully. He did not need to say anything. He just had to see for himself that she was safe and sound. However, he did have to restrain himself from yelling at her for allowing herself to be kidnapped when she could have gotten help from her fellow circus workers.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" asked Averil.

"No, I'm alright. They were a little rough with me, but they didn't hurt me."

"I'm so relieved. I'm sorry I ever got you into this mess," Averil said.

"That's alright. You had no one else to turn to," said Catherine.

"Thank you so much for all you've done, all of you," said Averil, looking from Catherine to Trowa to Duo. "But what now?"

"Duo's going to let us all rest at his place until we decide what to do next. It's really up to you," said Trowa.

Averil looked worried. "Well, I don't know yet."

"That's okay," assured Trowa, "I will protect you until you decide, and then I will protect you as long as you want me to."

She couldn't very well tell him she wanted him to forever, so she nodded instead.

//_-

The next week was spent in a deliberate, blissful ignorance of the decisions that Averil would soon have to make. Catherine had decided to go home after declaring that Averil needed rest, and the whole group agreed and insisted on it. She wasn't complaining, though. She really didn't know what to do, and she was too tired to make a decision. Instead, the foursome spent leisurely days at the park, and on other days, Trowa and Averil would help out around Duo and Hilde's Salvage Yard.

On one particular evening later in the week, Trowa sat, deep in thought, on the couch in Duo's living room, staring off into space. Duo was out taking Hilde back to her apartment and Averil was taking a shower, so he had some time to himself—some much-needed time. All week he had watched Averil, judging his reactions to her. He discovered that when he was around her, he was more open and he always had a good time with her. When they were apart, he keenly felt her absence. To put it bluntly, he was incredibly lonely. He wondered if this was the way he had always been before she came into his life. He knew he had been lonely before he had made friends with the other pilots and Catherine, but had he also been needing something that they couldn't provide? Did he, Trowa Barton, actually _need_ a companion? The thought seemed ludicrous, for he had never once thought of marrying. But now, he wondered if a bachelor's life would truly suit him.

In any case, he had to admit that he was a better person around Averil. She brought out his sensitivity and protective instincts especially. Wasn't that what women were supposed to do to men? She was the only one besides Catherine who ever had. What did that mean? Catherine didn't count; she was family. So there had to be something unique about Averil. When he could find no more answers to his numerous questions, and when he had analyzed everything three times over, he decided that he'd have to find his answer in Averil—the question herself. 

Ever since the night she had told him about her past, he had wanted to pursue a relationship with her. So, that's what he would do, he decided. He would be honest with his feelings, but he would move slowly. After all, he had decided in the beginning that he wanted Averil to know his intentions were pure. He really cared for her, not just her body the way men had in the past. It was very important that she see that. Yet he was afraid that he had already screwed that part up, what with the way he had kissed her before. 

At that moment Averil came in, clad in pajamas, with a mug of tea and sat down next to him. She drew her knees up to her chin and held the mug on her knees with both hands. He watched her silently the whole time. The room was quiet for a couple of minutes, then Averil asked, "What are you thinking about, Trowa?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Nothing."

"Trowa, I hoped that we could be more open now that we've established some trust. Are you mad at me?"

"No, I just don't know if I can find the words right now to tell you what I'm thinking . . . or feeling." Although he had decided to be honest with her, it was an entirely different story to actually put it into words.

"I guess I understand," she said softly, then looked around the room in a vain attempt to focus on something else.

"Averil," he said, turning to her and caressing her cheek, feeling her hair, "Just know that . . . that I did not mean to take advantage of you by kissing you. I went too far."

"Trowa, we've been over this before. You were just doing what you had to do to protect me," she said, wishing desperately that he hadn't brought up this subject.

"No," he said, causing her to look up in surprise, then continued in a rush, "it meant something to me. It shouldn't have, I know, but it did. That's why I went so far as to actually kiss you. I should have waited for your consent before I pursued that kind of relationship."

Averil felt her cheeks warm considerably. Could he possibly mean what she thought he meant? "Trowa, are you saying that you want something more than friendship?"

"Yes," he replied bluntly, "but don't feel like you're obligated to offer me that. I know you don't trust men, and you've had some bad experiences with them. Just be honest with yourself, and with me. That's all I ask."

For a moment, both were silent. Then Averil reached over and placed her hand on the back of his neck, smiling softly at him. Then she surprised Trowa further by leaning over and kissing him tenderly. He kissed her back just as tenderly, his hand feeling the silk of her hair. When she pulled away, his eyes were a little wide with wonder. She laughed softly, violet eyes shining. "Thank you for being so sweet . . . if you want me to be honest, that's what I've wanted to do all this week."

Trowa smiled and drew her closer. Since he didn't know what to say, he kissed her senseless instead. Afterwards, while they regained their senses, she sat cuddled against him, his arm around her shoulders. "You're not like other men, Trowa," she said, "I do trust you . . . you know that."

"I just thought that you might still have some healing to do. All your life, men have disrespected you, only wanted you for your body, but I care for you as Averil, not Lacy . . ."

Averil quieted him with a kiss, then said, "It's funny. All this week, I've been trying to reassume my role as Lacy, because I didn't want to get hurt. I thought that I was the only one affected by that kiss, but now you've freed me from ever being Lacy again," she paused for a moment in thought, and Trowa watched her contentedly. Then she continued, "I've been doing a lot of thinking about my past this week. Well, duh! That's what my decision will be based upon," she let out a short, humorless laugh. "Anyway, you know that I want to make things right, get my mother out of there, right?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Well, that's my decision," she stated, trying to sound confident and brave, even though she was shaking inside, "I want to send Kraten to jail, admit to any part I played in . . . the murders," her voice broke and tears welled in her eyes, "and- and make sure my mother lives the life she deserves. That is my duty, no matter the danger or consequences. I know that's the right thing to do."

Trowa brushed her tears away and smoothed her hair. "Don't be scared," he said comfortingly, "I'll be with you for as long as you want me to."

"I won't, now that I know I'll have you . . ." she trailed off as he kissed her yet again. 

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by an obnoxious wolf whistle. They pulled apart, blushing. Duo walked in with a huge grin on his face. "I'd say it's about time, you two! You've been making eyes at each other all week."

Averil laughed and buried her face in Trowa's chest. There came a muffled retort, "Duo, do you have to be so embarrassing?"

"Just stating the obvious!" After receiving a death-glare from Trowa, he continued, "Okay, I'll leave you two alone now. 'Night!" he said happily before strolling out of the room.

//_-

****

Crossing the River

By B. Steinberg, R. Nowels, & C. Devlin

Performed by the Devlins

Something tells me 

I can trust in you   
There's no pretense 

In the things you do   
So much water 

Under this bridge   
And I'm standing here 

At the water's edge 

Looking into your eyes   
  
I'm crossing the river 

To get to you   
I'm crossing the river   
Crossing the river   
  
You had the longing 

Of a broken heart   
Shined your light in a room 

That was frozen dark

Looking into your eyes yeah 

Looking into your eyes   
  
I'm crossing the river 

To get to you   
I'm crossing the river   
And this time I'll make it through   
With your faith and your arms open wide   
I see you there on the other side   
Crossing the river 

Of fear and pride   
  
There's no turning back I know 

I've come so far and I've got so far to go   
  
I'm crossing the river 

To get to you   
I'm crossing the river   
And this time I'll make it through oh yeah   
With your faith and your arms open wide   
I see you there on the other side   
Crossing the river 

Of fear and pride

Oh yeah I'm crossing the river   
I'm crossing the river   
I'm crossing the river 

To get to you

//_-

The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.

-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

****

Author's Notes: I launched out on a search to find places to post this fic, and I've found several. But if you know of some Trowa sites, then I'd love to post this there. And as always, if you have any comments or flames, review/email me. I can take criticism and I love compliments. Thanks for reading, and God bless! Is anybody sick of reading my redundant author's notes? Just wondering, because I'm too lazy to write new ones, so I just copy off of my old ones. You probably don't read these anyway. Oh well, just some random ramblings. And just to let you know, I'm almost done with Chapter Ten! If you haven't reviewed yet, then _please_ tell me how I'm doing. And for those of you who have reviewed, THANK YOU SO MUCH! If you're a fellow author, then you understand how encouraging it is. Okay, I'm done now. Bye!

To Be Continued


	10. Ch. 10

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Ten

By Kilmeny

****

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

****

Author's Notes: Yay! I finally got another chapter out. After this one, I think there will be only one or two more chapters and the epilogue and then I'll be done! This chapter deals with some legal mumbo-jumbo that I don't know too many specifics on, so I tried to be general and credible. Also, I'd like to thank all of you who've reviewed me, I really appreciate it! Enjoy the chapter!

//_-

Chapter Ten

One day, not long after, the entire group was gathered together at Quatre's house to find out the best way for Averil to expose Kraten as the criminal he was. Averil was attempting to explain things to the best of her ability: 

"I don't know exactly what counts as abuse, but he definitely verbally abused me. As far as anything physical . . . well, he left bruises on my wrists several times from dragging me to places I didn't want to go, but other than that . . ." she shrugged, "So I'm not really sure if I can press charges."

"But you have witnessed a murder?" asked Trowa.

"I witnessed four murders, all by gunshot. Two were under his orders, and with the other two, it was him who did it."

"Do you have any proof other than your word that he did it?" Quatre asked.

"Um . . . no," Averil answered, fidgeting and beginning to look very upset. It was becoming apparent that they had to come up with some solid evidence, or else she had no case.

"Were there any other witnesses to the murders?" 

"Yes, my mother saw a couple of them, and she told me two times of other murders she had witnessed when I was not there. The servants never saw anything, and the only other witnesses would be Morgan and Boris, because of course, they were the ones that followed through on Kraten's orders."

"And his other crimes simply consisted of bribery and cheating, right?" asked Trowa.

"Yes," Averil answered.

"There has to be some evidence of his foul play," said Quatre, "It wouldn't be hard to hack into the files of his account and see what transactions were made, and what jockeys were involved. I'm sure there would be a pattern showing that the jockeys who didn't accept money disappeared."

"And the jockey's files could be looked into as well," remarked Trowa, "Averil, can you remember the full names of any of the jockeys?"

"I can give you any name you want," said Averil, her confidence returning, then she smiled sadly. "Believe me, everything that happened is so deeply etched in my mind that I'm afraid I'll never forget it . . . or get over it." 

Everyone sympathized in silence, then Jazmin asked, "How were the deaths of the murdered jockeys explained?" 

"Usually suicides or disappearances, since they were all shot. If they couldn't figure out a way to make it appear as suicide, then they'd make sure the victim disappeared off the face of the earth. I kept the newspaper clippings in a little box that I have tucked away in one of my suitcases."

"So how many were left unsolved?"

Averil cocked her head in thought, "I'm pretty sure that it was half of them, but I can always check my newspaper clippings. We could convince the FBI to bring up those cases again. If they found any evidence or a pattern like Quatre said, then they might get a search or arrest warrant. In any case, they'll know that Kraten lied about me being kidnapped when I come to the police perfectly fine and fancy-free. And then when Catherine tells her own little kidnapping story, they'll at least be suspicious of him, and we'll have a case against his big boys."

"Yeah, and as soon as they link one murder to him or his boys, then the others would much more easily fall into place," stated Duo.

Catherine spoke up, "All we need is for him to be declared guilty of one murder, and he'll be in jail or on death row, but it's also important that all the cases be straightened out for the sake of the victims' families." The others nodded in agreement.

"We know you won't be charged, Averil, for having any part in the murders, but there are laws about reporting those things. I don't know what sort of punishment you might face for that," Duo said.

Averil shook her head, unconcerned, "It doesn't matter. It's only right that I should have to face the consequences for my cowardice. In the long run, it just doesn't matter, so don't worry about my little punishment. I'm totally prepared to receive it."

Duo nodded, gaining even more respect for the redhead. She certainly wasn't a coward anymore. It appeared that Trowa was just as good for her as she was for him, and it certainly wasn't every day that you found someone like that. Duo wished them the best of luck with his whole heart. He knew precisely how it felt to finally find that person.

By the time the meeting drew to a close, they at least had some leads to go on. Matters brightened considerably when Quatre generously offered to pay for Averil's case to be represented by his lawyer, and she—of course—gratefully accepted. There was no other way, and she knew that he had plenty of money to spare. 

//_-

Had it been only less than two weeks ago that she had leaned on this balcony's railing like this, dealing with all of her pent-up sorrow? Averil couldn't believe so little time had passed by since then. Now here she was, deep in thought again. Things still looked bleak, but she knew now that she could talk things out with Trowa. Although her life wasn't yet straightened out, at least her relationship with him was on the right track. On the right track?! Boy, was that an understatement. She felt like she was dreaming. She had never been given so great a gift as Trowa's . . . _like_? Love? What exactly was it, anyway? Well, for now it was enough that he cared for her, because even if he didn't love her romantically—the way she wanted him to—he was _showing _her love. When you were at a point in your life where you were starved for love, then yes, that was enough.

She looked to the side as Trowa walked over and leaned on the railing beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked, thinking of the other time he had come out here, when he'd first realized he cared for her. He gave into a sudden desire to brush the hair away from her gorgeous eyes and tuck it behind her ear. She closed her eyes as he did so, then opened them slowly and smiled up at him. _No wonder she's all that I can think about_, he thought.

"I was just going over all that's happened in the past two weeks—it's hard to believe," she answered, ". . . you know, Kraten and his men are most certainly on the prowl right now after you and Duo made them look like a bunch of idiots. Are you sure that it's safe here?"

"Averil, you've got Duo, Quatre, and I, not to mention the Maguanacs, all looking out for you, so there's nothing to worry about. Just focus on the legal stuff right now, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled mischievously and straightened, then stepped closer to Trowa, tracing a finger down his chest. "But are you sure that's all you want me to focus on right now? Because, if so, then maybe we. . ."

His arm snaked quickly around her waist and pinned her to his chest. His voice was gruff, "Averil, don't tease me. Of course I want you to think about us, but I just don't want your worry _or myself_ to hold you back from doing what you have to do." He groaned and pulled her closer still, "You have no idea what you do to me, because at the same time, this selfish side of me wants to take you someplace where we can be alone together . . . but I know that you can't go on with your life until this is all settled, so here we are."

Averil was speechless for a moment in disbelief, then she said, "How is it that I elicit these long, revealing speeches from you when I barely say a thing? I'm not complaining though, because you always say something I want to hear."

"It's probably because you finally shut up long enough for me to say what I really think," he teased. She pushed against him playfully in mock disdain, but he merely pulled her closer, face only a few inches from hers. They gazed at each other, eyes twinkling. Then Trowa pressed his lips firmly to hers, and they clung to each other, so in need of this physical contact. This was the first time they were able to be alone that day, and the day was nearly over. Finally, they pulled apart, breathless, and they stood for a moment, Trowa resting his forehead against hers.

"Trowa, there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about," she said, leading him over to sit on the balcony's bench.

"What's that?" 

"Eventually, I _will_ have to face my stepfather again, whether it be in court or sometime beforehand. So I wanted to know if you think I'll be able to handle it?" 

"Of course."

"But you don't know how I am around him. I get all submissive and weak. I'm afraid I won't be able to stand up to him. He knows my weak points, and believe me, he will go for them, mercilessly. I just don't know if I can handle that, and there's no way that I can be sure that you'll be with me when I confront him again."

Trowa thought for a moment, then said, "I've met men like Kraten before. Under all that cruelty and arrogance is only a spineless coward. When you have to face him again, just remember this: no matter how scared you are, you will always have hope. You'll always have someone who cares about you." He brushed his hand across her cheek, once again wanting to communicate through an action, then continued, "You'll always have the things he lacks—love and friendship, faith and hope, and mercy. Ultimately, he cannot stand up to that, because he doesn't understand it. He understands your weaknesses, because he has the same ones himself, but he'll never understand your strength . . . he'll never understand it."

There were tears in Averil's eyes as she leaned forward to embrace him. What she couldn't understand was how he knew exactly what to say to make her feel better, and all she could get out past the lump in her throat was "thank you." 

//_-

The next few weeks were indeed focused on the legal aspects of Averil's mission. Authorities were contacted and Quatre's lawyer, Sam Barker, proved to be a huge asset. Mr. Barker knew exactly what leads to follow, and Trowa stayed up late each night hacking into any files that might offer any useful information, which he then sent to the lawyer. They were pleased to discover that there definitely was the type of pattern with the jockeys that Quatre had predicted. Averil and Trowa had little time to spend alone together, but they did manage to share breakfast every morning out on "their" balcony. Neither one had ever found it so easy to get up in the morning. 

It wasn't long before the media found out about Averil's accusations towards her stepfather, despite everyone's attempts to keep things hush-hush. As a result, Averil constantly worried about her mother and what Kraten might do to her in his wrath, so she became even more determined. Fortunately, Kraten and his men kept their distance, perhaps because they feared the consequences or simply because they had a darker plan up their sleeves. Averil had no end of nightmares as to what exactly her stepfather was up to. But there was nothing she could do about it but wait for her case to develop.

By the end of three weeks of hard work on all of their parts, the authorities had a warrant for the arrest of Morgan and Boris for the kidnapping of Catherine. A court date was scheduled, the media made sure they knew exactly what was going on, and Averil found herself having to sit on the sidelines as Catherine answered questions repeatedly as to the events of her kidnapping.

Finally the day of the trial came. That morning Trowa was out on the balcony as usual, sipping his coffee as he waited for Averil to come join him for breakfast. However, it didn't appear that she was going to come anytime soon. After checking his watch several times, Trowa finally rose from his chair, ready to go in and check on her himself. He cautiously let himself in, expecting to find her still asleep in bed, but she was standing in front of the mirror. He froze and stared, getting a sudden feeling of déjà vu. One of her hands was combing slowly through the hair near her neck, and her eyes were vacant and glimmering with tears as she stared off into space.

It was just like the day they first met . . . "Averil!" her name flew past his lips, startling her out of her reverie. She turned to him, a questioning frown on her features. He was across the room in a flash. "Are you alright?" he asked, his hands gripping her arms.

"Fine I guess, but I could ask the same of you. What got you so upset?" she asked, searching his concerned face.

He frowned. "I don't know. First I got déjà vu, then I got this really ominous feeling. I just have a really bad feeling about all of this."

"Great, I've been standing here trying to convince myself that everything's going to be fine, then you come in here and tell me you feel like something bad is going to happen." She trembled a little with pent-up emotion.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her so that she laid her head on his shoulder. "Averil, we can't let ourselves worry, because it won't help things. We have to stay positive. Anyway, it was just a feeling I got. It must've been because you reminded me of how you were going to cut your hair that first day, and of course that gave me a bad feeling." Averil smiled slightly, well aware of how much Trowa adored her hair.

She pulled away and explained, "Well I was practicing my professional slash confident look, then I kind of just started staring off into space and thinking very pessimistic thoughts, and then you came in."

He laughed inwardly, _So she practices her confident attitude? Who would have thought?_ Then he looked her over. "Well you look not only professional, but beautiful, too," he said, kissing her softly so that she felt herself melt from the affection. Then he told her to hold on a second, and she watched as he strode purposefully from the room. When he came back, he said, "Do me a favor and wear this today, okay?"

"What is it?" she asked as he slipped a small earpiece into her right ear. Once it was properly inserted, she felt it with her fingertips.

"It's a very high-tech recording device. It can pick up whispers, breathing, you name it, and it automatically starts working as soon as it detects the human voice," he answered in that prideful tone men use when they're explaining something only men care about.

Averil nodded wisely, "Aaahh . . ." although still confused, "well what's it for?"

"Evidence. No one can see that you have it on, and if someone talks to you and tells you something important, you'll have it on the record so that we can use it as evidence."

"Who am I going to talk to that would have anything important to say, hmm?" she asked, one hand on her hip.

"Call it a hunch," replied Trowa casually, although his ominous feelings had not passed. 

//_-

Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear, only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

****

More Author's Notes: I hope none of you were offended by that male comment, it wasn't intended as an insult. I've just always thought it's funny how guys get all arrogant when they talk about car mechanics or sports or whatever. Not that it's bad if you're a girl and care about those things, just an observation I've made that amuses me. I also wanted to let you guys know, if your interested that I have a character sketch of Averil on Fanfiction.Net called "The Curiosity: A Character Sketch." It's really short, and you might like it, so please review it if you read it. And don't forget to review/email me on this story with any comments or criticisms. Thanks for reading and God bless!

To Be Continued


	11. Ch. 11

****

Trust in Me – Chapter Eleven

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

****

Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Thanks again to all who have reviewed me. Uh, not much to say this time around. But enjoy!

//_-

****

Chapter Eleven

The court had been given a one-hour recess, and Averil desperately needed a breath of fresh air. It wasn't that things weren't going well—in fact, the evidence against Morgan and Boris would surely convince the jury—it was just that she felt suffocated being in the same room with the big boys or knowing that they were so near. She stood silently amidst her gathered group of friends, staring at the cold marble floor and occasionally glancing up towards whoever was talking, but she had no idea what was being said. Once there was a break in conversation, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, Catherine, Hilde, and Jazmin didn't feel the need for a group run. 

Averil stood at the sink, wondering why she always stared in the mirror whenever she was troubled. She looked scared, and her skin was paler than normal. She tried to remedy that by pinching her cheeks, but was unsuccessful. On this day, it would be a little more difficult than that to hide her fear. And for some reason, she felt like having a good cry. That was most likely due to the fact that this day was supercharged with differing emotions—anxiety, relief, and some satisfaction, but there still wasn't any closure. It shouldn't be long though until she had Kraten in court. _Thankfully, he's not here today. I don't think I could handle it seeing him glare at me across the courtroom_. She worried briefly about where her solid evidence was going to come from, but felt better after telling herself to just take things a day at a time. She also prayed a quick prayer for strength to make it through the rest of the day. Then she gingerly leaned down and splashed cold water on her face, which helped to refresh her. She turned and dried her face with a paper towel and headed for the door. Maybe she'd take a little walk outside, too. She had precisely 48 minutes until she had to be back in that horrid courtroom. There was no way she was going to spend it in that chilling courthouse anymore than she had to.

She walked back to where her friends had been, but they were gone. She searched for them a minute, but didn't see them anywhere. _Oh well, I won't be going far or be gone for long, so it's not a big deal_. Then she eagerly stepped outside, about to breathe in deeply. She stopped herself though and walked on, past the crowd of smokers enjoying the recess. Farther along the sidewalk, she leaned against a building and watched two squirrels chasing each other nearby, laughing occasionally at their antics.

"Long time no see," said a familiar, arrogant voice.

Averil gasped and raised her eyes to meet cold gray ones. There stood Kraten, dressed as always in his severe pinstriped suit and smirking at her obvious discomfort. "What are _you_ doing here?" she bit out.

"I just wanted to see what would happen to my boys, now that you've turned against them," he remarked casually.

"Don't give me that bullcrap—like you even care about them at all. Besides, I was never on their side in the first place; I was just too scared to stand up to you guys. Well things are different now, so if you would excuse me, I don't want to talk to you." Averil turned away, wondering where the strength to say that had come from and why her knees weren't knocking together. 

Then her heart lurched as Kraten grabbed her and shoved her roughly into a nearby alleyway. "You don't just walk away when I'm talking to you," he said harshly, anger glittering in his eyes.

"What do you want from me, Kraten? Huh?! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Averil yelled, furious now.

He laughed cruelly. "Who knew my little Lacy could get so mad."

"I'm not your little Lacy anymore," she said bitterly.

"Oh you think so? Well why exactly are you flirting with that Gundam pilot, huh Lacy? Both of us know that you're just using him and his friends to get me in jail."

"That's not true!" she yelled savagely.

Kraten laughed again. "You mean to say that you actually _love_ this guy? That's a laugh. In any case, it's one-sided—like any man would want you for anything more than your body."

Averil hung her head in shame, hating to hear her fears being voiced aloud. It couldn't be true. Trowa just wasn't like that. Then she said in a low, controlled voice, "Don't talk to me about love, Kraten, when you don't know a thing about it."

"Oh really? So explain it to me," he ordered, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

She sighed. "What you don't understand is that even if he doesn't love me back, I'll still love him. It's not a give and take kind of deal. You give even if you don't get back." She paused to gather her thoughts, then continued in the same steady voice, "I'm not claiming to know a lot about love, but I do know that my father and mother loved each other, and they loved me, too, and all that I know is what I've learned from them." She stopped, wiping a few tears from her eyes, not even looking up at her stepfather—her voice was breaking now, "You know that's all I ever wanted from you. I didn't want you to replace my father, but I hoped that you would love me for who I was instead of using me and making me be someone I hated."

Kraten looked irritated and not at all sympathetic. "You _hoped_? You know you have a real problem. You live in a fantasy world where you think people actually care about one another. Look at the world around you. Everyone's looking out for themselves."

Averil shook her head. "I feel sorry for you, Kraten. You're the one who's blind. Did you ever notice that my mother truly loved you when you first got married? She knew what kind of man you were, but for some reason she was naïve enough to think she could change you. This world may not be filled with loving people, but that doesn't mean that when you look you won't ever find someone who cares."

//_-

Trowa shifted positions again, restless. He had long since stopped listening to the discussion. Abruptly, he interrupted, "Averil's been gone a half hour now. I'm going to look for her."

Everyone stopped talking and stared stupidly, wondering why they hadn't missed her. Hilde took a sharp intake of breath and said, "She must've forgotten that we were coming in here." "Here" was an office room which Mr. Barker had led them into in order to discuss the recent proceedings. Averil hadn't forgotten, she had simply not heard them discuss it because she hadn't been listening to their earlier conversation out in the hall.

When Duo and Quatre started to rise from their chairs, Trowa held up a hand to stop them. "You guys stay here. I'll find her on my own." Trowa checked the bathrooms, the hall, and even the courtroom, but of course he didn't find her. His stomach was beginning to tie into knots, and his heartbeat was rapid as he furtively looked through the clusters of people in the entrance area. If she got hurt after all of his reassurances that she'd be fine, then . . . well, that just couldn't happen! Something told him to go outside, sprint past the smokers, down the sidewalk, turn left, and lurch to a stop at an alley.

He was breathing hard, and he knew it wasn't because of the run. He glanced quickly around the corner, assessing the situation in a matter of seconds. Averil was facing him, and Kraten's back was to him. There was a dumpster he could hide behind before making his entrance. He crept over to it and crouched down, readying his gun. Averil didn't see him—her intensity surprised him. He maintained his position and watched, curious as to how Averil would handle Kraten.

". . . but that doesn't mean that when you look you won't ever find someone who cares," she said.

Kraten shook his head in contempt. "You only say that because you haven't seen the truly evil side of this world."

Averil laughed incredulously. "You act as if I didn't witness you murder those men! Don't tell me that's not truly evil!"

"Is that what you're going to say in court, Lacy? That I'm evil?" He snorted derisively, "You're gonna have to have some _evidence_ in order to convict me, and you don't have anything."

Trowa clenched his fists, sending out a litany to Averil, _Get him to admit it, come on Averil, get him to admit it . . ._

Averil lowered her eyes a little in defeat, invoking a cruel smile from Kraten, but then her eyes opened a little wider and she contained the urge to grin. She looked up timidly, licking her lips not in nervousness but in anticipation. "Kraten," she said softly, hoping he'd take the bait, "Don't you think that what you did was evil? Wrong? How can you act like it was nothing?"

__

Yes! That's it, Averil! thought Trowa with pride.

Kraten gave Averil a strange look, but wouldn't pass up a chance to jab at her sensitivity. "Like I said, I was only looking out for myself just like everyone else in this world does. I'm not afraid to use whatever means necessary to get what I want."

"Even murder?!" cried Averil, filled with loathing for this man, but inwardly rejoicing in her coming triumph.

"You know I don't like that word, Lacy. Remember, it's part of my little method called _persuasion_," he sneered.

"You're so full of it," she hissed, "It's murder and you're gonna pay for what you did."

Kraten's air of overconfidence did not falter. "You have no proof. The only people who know that I'm a murderer are you, your mother, and me. You and your mother aren't enough witnesses to convince a jury."

Averil smiled. "Morgan and Boris know, and who says they won't spill, adding to the number of witnesses?"

"They know I have connections in jail, and they'll be disposed of too if they turn against me."

"So what about me?" asked Averil, remembering that she might not get away from him, now that he had her alone.

"You're coming with me, of course." Averil gasped when she saw Trowa, gun leveled at Kraten, eyes fastened on her.

Kraten turned around, unfazed by the gun. His smile made him appear as if he was tolerating a child's mischief. "Don't worry, she's yours now, to use as you want."

Trowa reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Averil to glare scornfully at Kraten, but he didn't lower his gun. "She's not a toy to be handed over to someone else when you're through with her. Besides, she was never yours to begin with." He moved to grasp Averil's hand, but continued to glare at her stepfather.

Kraten grit his teeth, finally allowing himself to look openly hostile, instead of displaying his fake, cruel smiles. "You guys go ahead and live in your little fantasy world. I'll just watch and enjoy while your case against me flounders. I have connections everywhere, and I always get what I want."

Averil shivered and turned away, almost feeling sorry for him. He was so estranged from the concept of love and blind to it when someone actually had loved him. But then she could never forget what he had done to those men, and to her and her mother. Someday, she would find the strength to forgive him, but now the memories were too fresh, and it was too hard. Tears slid down her cheeks as Trowa led her away, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

Kraten stood stiffly and watched as they left the alley, then turned and headed in the opposite direction, one solitary, ravaged man.

//_-

Trowa found himself having to guide Averil back to the courthouse; she was shaking so badly. Once inside, he led her to a private corner and sat her down on a bench. She clung to his shirt and pulled him down beside her before burying her face in his chest and sobbing. He rubbed her back, his lips on her hair. His relief was indescribable at having her safely in his arms again. "You did it, Averil. I'm here now. It'll all be over soon," he chanted soothingly.

When she finally pulled away, eyes rimmed in red, she said, "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come when you did. You're always rescuing me . . ."

"You didn't even need me back there. I only interfered because of my promise to protect you." He paused, thinking. "When all of this is over . . . will you . . ." he trailed off, staring at some point above her head.

"Will I what?" 

His eyes returned to hers, expressionless, and he shook his head. "Nevermind."

When she could see that he wouldn't answer, she said, "I did what you told me, Trowa. I used my strengths against him, and he really didn't understand, but it was sad . . ."

Trowa's eyes told her that he understood, then he leaned over and murmured in her ear, "I'm so proud of you. You got that all on tape."

She smiled and whispered, "I know. It's ironic that I learned the art of manipulation from Kraten himself."

The others came up then, all asking questions at once, but Trowa and Averil did not reveal the evidence they had obtained for fear that the public would hear. They would tell their friends later, and as for the rest of the world, well let's just say that one person would be in for the surprise of his life. He certainly wasn't going to get what he wanted this time.

//_-

****

Thank God I Found You

By Mariah Carey, James Harris III, & Terry Lewis

Performed by Mariah Carey, Joe, & 98 Degrees

I would give up everything

Before I'd separate myself from you

After so much suffering

I finally found unvarnished truth

I was all by myself for the longest time

So cold inside

And the hurt from the heartache would not subside

I felt like dying

Until you saved my life

Thank God I found you

I was lost without you

My every wish and every dream

Somehow became reality

When you brought the sunlight

Completed my whole life

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude

'Cause baby I'm so thankful I found you

I will give you everything

There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

To insure your happiness

I'll cherish every part of you

'Cause without you beside me I can't survive

Don't want to try

If you're keeping me warm each and every night

I'll be alright

Because I need you in my life

Thank God I found you

I was lost without you

My every wish and every dream

Somehow became reality

When you brought the sunlight

Completed my whole life

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude

'Cause baby I'm so thankful I found you

See I was so desolate 

Before you came to me

Looking back I guess

It shows that we were

Destined to shine

After the rain

To appreciate the gift of what we have

And I'd go through it all over again

To be able to feel this way

Thank God I found you

I was lost without you

My every wish and every dream

Somehow became reality

When you brought the sunlight

Completed my whole life

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude

Sweet baby I'm so thankful I found you

Thank God I found you

I was lost without you

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude

My baby I'm so thankful I found you

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude

My baby I'm so thankful I found you

//_-

After the good news had been told back at the Winner estate, Quatre suggested they have a party to celebrate not only that triumph, but also the jury's verdict of guilt for Morgan and Boris. Duo, always up for a party, was the one to make sure it happened. So there they all were an evening later, Duo and Hilde dancing, Quatre and Jazmin out on a balcony, Catherine chatting with some Maguanacs, the rest of the Maguanacs dancing with their dates, and Trowa and Averil sitting together on a secluded couch. At first they didn't talk much as they watched the others at the party, shared a smile for no apparent reason, squeezed hands, then took another drink of their sodas, and continued on in the same fashion. Finally, Averil spoke over the din of the music, "So what happens next?"

Trowa frowned, obviously being reminded of some unpleasant thoughts. "Let's talk about this upstairs, okay?" 

Averil nodded, wondering what was troubling him, and allowed him to lead her up to their balcony. Once there, she asked, "What's wrong, Trowa?"

He sighed and didn't look at her. At length, he answered, "Catherine and I have to get back to the circus soon. The practice period will be over in a few weeks, and we need to use that time so that we won't miss out on the coming three months of performances."

"Oh," was all she said, and her tone was heartbreaking to Trowa. She must think he was awful! Then she muttered, "I understand. I don't want to keep you from your duties."

Trowa finally looked at her, and the turmoil of conflicting emotions she saw in his eyes startled her. "I would stay if I thought you really needed me with you, but after what I saw yesterday . . . I think you'll be fine without me for the rest of this ordeal. But just say the word, and I'll stay." 

Averil missed the pleading in his eyes, the hopeful note in his voice. "No, I'll be fine," she assured him, although she still wanted him to stay. Yet maybe this was something she needed to see through on her own, to know that she could do it all by herself, but if only they had just a little more time.

He nodded in defeat. "If you ever need me, though, my promise still stands. All you have to do is call me, and I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"I know, Trowa," she said, smiling.

He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek, then cupped the side of her face tenderly. "What are you gonna do once Kraten's behind bars?"

She leaned into his hand slightly and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she replied, "I'll get my mother settled somewhere, then I want to come back to the circus."

Trowa's heart leaped joyfully. "Really?" he asked, raising a brow in question.

She smiled, "Yes, I loved what I was doing back there with the horses, and having my own performance, it was great. My true friends are there . . . you'll be there. It might be awhile though."

"You'll visit though, won't you?" he asked, hopeful, his hand moving down to lace fingers with hers.

"Of course, if you keep me up to date on where you guys will be at."

"I'll call you everyday," he said emphatically.

She giggled, "Yeah I can just see myself sitting on the witness stand and my cell-phone rings." They shared a moment of laughter, then stopped at the same time, fully realizing just how much they'd miss each other. "You know, I broke one of my promises to you. I never rubbed it in when I made you laugh."

"I'm certainly a different person around you," he conceded.

"Me, too. Despite the fact that you think I _didn't_ need you when I was confronted by Kraten, I never would have been able to say the things I did if you hadn't offered me so much support and advice before."

"You _will_ be okay without me here?" It was a question.

"Yes," she said truthfully, although she had a nagging sense that they had forgotten to say something important to each other.

//_-

Love has no awareness of merit or demerit; it has no scale by which its portion may be weighed or measured. It does not seek to balance giving and receiving. Love loves; this is its nature.

-Howard Thurman

Love is man's natural endowment, but he doesn't know how to use it. He refuses to recognize the power of love because of his love of power.

-Dick Gregory

****

Author's Notes: Just to let you guys know about the quotes, I got the idea from some Sailormoon fanfic writers at First Love: A Sailormoon Story Archive, which I highly recommend for any Sailormoon lovers out there. (www.firstlovefics.com) I thought it might be neat to do the same thing myself, so I checked out a couple of quote books and wrote down the one's that related to my story. I hope you like them. Anyway, please review/email me with any comments or criticisms. Thanks for reading and God bless!

To Be Continued


	12. Ch. 12 & Epilogue

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Trust in Me – Chapter Twelve and Epilogue

By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their respective authors listed with them.

****

Author's Notes: First of all, sorry about the format of the songs always being weird. When I save it to .htm it won't stay the same format, and I don't know how to fix it, so sorry again if it's confusing to read. Also, let me say whoohoo! I finally finished my first story. I'm so excited. Hope the ending's not too sappy for you. I try to make things sweet but realistic. But us hopeless romantics get a little carried away sometimes. Something I've noticed, Averil cries a lot. I hope that doesn't get on your nerves or anything. I only meant for Averil to be a sensitive person, and with such a troubled past, you'd probably cry a lot, too. Tell me what you think about Averil as a character. I kind of went out on a limb making up a new character for my first story, and I'm interested to know if she turned out alright. Anyway, enjoy the ending!

//_-

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Chapter Twelve

The next morning, Averil and Trowa decided to have breakfast separately, for they wanted to spend the rest of the day—their last day—together. So Averil ate with the girls, and Trowa had breakfast with Quatre and Duo.

"So Jazmin, how are things with you and Quatre?" Averil asked, delicately licking some jam off of her fingers.

The brunette smiled with satisfaction and put down her coffee cup. "A lot better. He's finally given up trying to only be my employer and has taken me on a number of very romantic dates."

"That's great! How did that happen?"

"It's a long story that will have to be told some other time. You'll keep in touch, won't you?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss out on any of the juicy details."

"So what are the juicy details between you and Trowa?" Hilde asked eagerly. Jazmin and Catherine leaned in with equal anticipation.

Averil groaned and blushed, knowing they'd ask this. "I don't know. I guess we just realized . . . that . . ."

"You love each other?" Catherine suggested.

Averil's face fell. "Well, he hasn't said that or anything, but—"

Jazmin looked incredulous. "You mean he's leaving tomorrow morning and you guys haven't even admitted that?!"

"How do you even know if he feels that way?" asked Averil a little indignantly.

Hilde shook her head. "Love's not just a feeling. We know because he shows it! His actions give him away."

Averil frowned. "Well, I can't just _make_ him say it. If he wants me to know, then he'll tell me. I'm not going to force it out of him."

"Well are you going to tell him?" asked Catherine.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see. There's no telling if I'll be able to get the words out between now and when he leaves," answered Averil honestly.

The others didn't say anything, feeling it best to let the subject drop, despite their differing opinions. Then Hilde asked, "You'll come to my wedding, won't you?"

Averil smiled in relief. "I wouldn't miss it. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem! Duo and I want as many people there as possible. 'The more the merrier' is what we say." 

Averil raised her brows. "I'm sure you have a lot of friends, too. I wonder if I'll even find a seat."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll get all of you seats with a great view of me in my beautiful dress, and you'll all be jealous," said Hilde enthusiastically. The others laughed, knowing that they probably would wish they were the ones getting married.

"So when are you and Duo heading back to L2?" asked Jazmin.

"We're leaving tonight. Our shuttle leaves around 6:30pm, about an hour and a half earlier than Catherine and Trowa's," Hilde answered.

Averil looked disappointed, "That means I won't get to see you off at the subway." She wrinkled her nose, "I have a meeting with Mr. Barker about the recording at seven, so I'll only get to see Trowa and Catherine off."

"That's okay," Hilde said, giggling, "Duo and I will pounce on you before you go to your meeting and make sure we get a thorough seeing off."

"'A seeing off?' With a 'pouncing?' I'll be looking forward to it," she said with a wry smile.

//_-

Duo and Hilde stepped onto the subway, waving happily at Quatre, Jazmin, Trowa, and Catherine until they were out of sight. Then Hilde said, "Can you believe that Trowa and Averil haven't even told each other how they feel yet?"

Duo smirked. "Remember how long it took us?" he asked, putting an arm around her waist, "Don't worry, they'll eventually tell each other in their own time."

"In their own _idiotic_ time," muttered Hilde, "Trowa should know better than to leave a girl stranded like that wondering exactly how he feels."

"And how would Trowa know? He's never even dated before!" exclaimed Duo, defending his friend.

Hilde elbowed him playfully in the ribs and pouted, "I know I'm being unfair. It's just that guys are so dense sometimes."

"I knew it! You were just trying to find another way to rub in how dense I was!" Duo was so loud that all of the other passengers stared and snickered.

She laughed, unperturbed by the attention, "No I wasn't. I was just venting. Us girls worry about each other's love lives, you know?"

"Funny, some guys like to get their kicks out of making things hard on the other guys instead of helping them," said Duo, scratching his head.

Hilde rolled her eyes. _Boys . . ._

//_-

"I'm gonna go up and wait for Averil," Trowa told Catherine.

She glanced at her watch. "She probably won't be here for another hour."

"I know. I just want to be alone for awhile, too."

"I understand."

Conveniently, Quatre's estate was only a ten minute walk from the nearest subway, so Trowa sat on a bench beneath a streetlight, waiting for Averil to come walking down the road. Meanwhile, he would use the time to think. He didn't know why he didn't insist on staying by her side throughout her whole ordeal. He felt like he was making an excuse out of going back to the circus. Maybe he just wanted to test their relationship, see if it was strong enough to make it through a separation. He also felt intuitively that Averil needed to know that she could find the strength and courage in herself to do the right thing on her own. He sensed that she wanted to be an individual, no longer restrained by the character of Lacy or anyone's desires for her but her own, and he respected that. So what was it that felt so wrong?

Trowa came up with no answer to his dilemma. Instead, he found himself absorbed in thoughts of how much he and Averil had changed since meeting one another, and of the good times they had shared. He looked forward to a future with her in it, never lonely again. He closed his eyes; he was really going to miss her. Her smile, those haunting eyes, her sweet nature, her infectious laugh, her voice, her kiss, and _especially her hair_, he thought, smiling.

Eventually, he saw her figure walking down the road, and he stood to watch her. Curiously, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her—she was so graceful and beautiful. When she was near, his smile faded, and he said, "I've been waiting . . . to say goodbye."

"That sounds sad when you say it like that," she said, standing hesitantly in front of him.

"It is," was all he said. She looked up at him under dark lashes, a watery smile on her face. "Don't cry," he commanded huskily.

"I can't help it," she choked, breaking into tears, and then his arms were around her, holding her against his chest like so many times before. "I'm gonna get your shirt all wet," she cried.

"It's nothing new," he replied, eliciting something between a sob and a laugh from the redhead.

"I'll miss you so much," she declared, her arms tightening around him. He merely kissed her hair in reply, then wiped the tears from her cheeks, but she knew that he meant the same thing. And his eyes, so deep and green, she had never seen them this intense before. He kissed her then, a kiss more passionate than all the rest, one that spoke more volumes, uttered more words than he could ever say to express the way he felt about her. His hands were in her hair, on her waist, down her arms, they never stopped moving, never felt enough of her softness. 

Could it be true that Trowa really did love her? Such a wondrous thought almost seemed as if it was within her grasp when he touched her like this and looked at her like that. How could she let him go, Averil thought, clinging to his arms, trying to get closer, warmer, anything to sate this need for him long enough to allow her to part with him. But it seemed that nothing would satisfy her hunger, and finally she reluctantly pushed him away, crying, "How do you expect me to watch you go when you do that?"

_I was only telling you how I felt_, he thought, almost subconsciously, but he only said, "You didn't seem to be protesting much."

She shook her head, realizing how desperate she must have seemed. "Do you want to go wait downstairs?"

"No, I'd rather we say our good-byes up here," he replied, thinking he'd prefer to get his parting look at her here under the trees rather than down in the dirty subway system.

"Alright," she said, going over to sit on the bench. He followed and sat beside her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. His fingers would first comb gently through her hair, and then he would play with one of her hands, kissing each fingertip with aching slowness. This went on for awhile, both silent, content to hold one another, but not to let each other go, not yet, not when there was so much to be said . . . but how did one say it? Averil nearly started to several times, but she realized that what kept her from saying it was her infernal weakness, that side of her self that would always taunt her, would probably never be gone for good. She was still afraid of so many things, and she hated it, but she didn't know how to get around it. It would be difficult to understand for someone who had not been through the things she had, who had not seen what she had seen. Her father torn from her mother while her mother was still so young; her mother's feelings tossed around carelessly by a new, cruel husband; and Averil herself, rejected and abused by the men who saw her only as Lacy. Trowa had been right; she still bore wounds from her past that hadn't fully healed. It would just take time, something they didn't have much of at the present moment.

With much unwillingness, Trowa rose and pulled Averil up with him. "I have to go down now," he said, and she nodded, staring down at the ground. He lifted her chin so that he could look her in the eyes, one last look at those brilliant, gray-violet eyes before he left. "Hey, it won't be that long."

"You're right," she said, giving him a dazzling smile, something he needed badly right then. "Goodbye, Trowa."

"Goodbye, Averil," he said solemnly, giving her one last tender kiss. Then she turned and walked away, preferring not to be the one to see the other go—and Trowa was left to watch her fade away into the night, but both were left with the feeling that something had been a little anticlimactic.

//_-

****

I Love You  
**By** **Sarah McLachlan**

  
I have a smile 

Stretched from ear to ear 

To see you walking down the road   


We meet at the lights   
I stare for a while   
The world around us disappears   


It's just you and me 

On my island of hope   
A breath between us could be miles   


Let me surround you 

My sea to your shore   
Let me be the calm you seek   
  
Oh but every time I'm close to you   
There's too much I can't say 

And you just walk away   


And I forgot 

To tell you I love you 

And the night's too long 

And cold here without you   
I grieve in my condition 

For I cannot find the words to say 

I need you so   
  
Oh but every time I'm close to you 

There's too much I can't say 

And you just walk away   


And I forgot 

To tell you I love you   
And the night's too long 

And cold here without you

I grieve in my condition 

For I cannot find the words to say 

I need you so

//_-

Trowa and Catherine came out of the subway, then waited to cross the street, where the shuttle station stood. Trowa's thoughts were elsewhere. They were crossing the street now, he barely noticed. All he thought about was his sweet Averil. She had trusted him, trusted him to protect her, treat her right; she'd trusted him to tell her the truth. He stopped in his tracks, heedless of the rushing crowds of people shoving their way around him.

"Trowa!" called Catherine.

He hadn't told her the whole truth. They had agreed to be more open with each other, and he hadn't even told her what she should hear the most. He'd said he cared, but that was only part of it—only a fraction of it! How could he have let her walk away without her knowing that he loved her, that it tore his heart out to part from her for one second? How could he have done that to her?!

"Trowa!!" Catherine repeated, grabbing his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Catherine, you're going to have to leave without me," he said, only halfway out of his trance.

"Why?" she asked, although she had her ideas.

"I forgot something, something I needed to say . . ." he answered, before running back to the street crossing. She smiled knowingly, picked up her bags, and headed towards the shuttles. No one would believe her story when she got back.

Trowa shifted from foot to foot, glaring at the traffic signal, demanding it to change. What was taking so long?! Cars sped past one after the other, stopping him from getting across. He couldn't leave Averil in pain for another minute! Finally, the signal yielded beneath his destructive glare, the cars stopped, and Trowa rushed across the street.

//_-

Averil closed the door to her room, and slid down to the floor, covering her face with her hands. How was she going to make it through this night? Tears streamed down her cheeks and her back heaved with sobs. _This stupid fear! I have to get over it! So what if he doesn't say it back. That's not what I loved him for in the first place. I loved him because of who he was, not because of what he could give me._ Her tears and sobs subsided as a thought dawned on her. What was it that she had said to Kraten? She'd said, ". . . _even if he doesn't love me back, I'll still love him. It's not a give and take kind of deal. You give even if you don't get back_."

She stood up, eyes wide with realization. If she truly loved him, then she would prove it by telling him and continuing to love him whatever his response may be. In this way, she could also triumph over her fear. And she had to see him to do it! A telephone call would be the coward's way out. She grappled with the door, flew down the stairs, and ran all the way to the subway station. Then she had to wait . . .

//_-

Next stop and he'd be there, _come on!_ He hardly knew what to do with himself; he was so rarely impatient. He looked over at his hand gripping the metal pole—his knuckles were white. He actually had to pry his fingers off. He hadn't used that death-grip since the wars. He looked up as the cars screeched to a halt. _Finally!_ As he shoved his way towards the open doors, he caught a glimpse of red hair. It couldn't be. She was waiting for him! No, she was about to get on, but then she spotted him and stepped back, incredulous. He ran to her, his heart surging with love for her . . . his sweet Averil.

As the cars screamed off down the tunnel, the winds in their wake blew that beloved hair up and around her face. "Trowa?" she asked, unbelieving.

The last few steps between them he closed slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I forgot to tell you something."

Haltingly, she said, "I did, too."

He leaned down, cupping her cheek with his hand. "I love you," he said simply, smiling.

She nearly gasped, and her eyes were wide as she answered, so easily, "I love you, too." Then his mouth covered hers in a sweet and tender kiss, sealing their much-awaited vows.

//_-

****

Trust Me 

By Two-Mix

Translated from Japanese

Throwing myself to the white wind which blows wild

I start to run out to you from the subway doors

My love is rushing . . . my heart is tangled

I impatiently glared at the unchanging signal 

Phone calls are painful because I can't see you

Tell me the pain in your heart 

Which spilled into the gap between words, don't leave me alone 

TRUST ME NOW I always want to be with you

So hurry to hold tight these freezing shoulders 

TRUST ME MORE I want to find what I can do 

For the two of us so don't close those eyes 

The sun and the blue wind which blew through 

That summer day I innocently burned them onto my skin

On nights when sorrow lies deep and thick

I'll give you a melody that rings of those days 

The distance between the two of us hurts, the more you are kind to me

Despite the times I hesitated 

Unable to choose between love and dreams

TRUST ME NOW I want to continue walking with you

Because I actually love you enough to make me cry 

TRUST ME MORE I want you to firmly go on gazing

Only at the bond which links the two of us 

We'll re-warm at least our love and exchange kisses again and again 

Without saying goodbye . . . even tomorrow 

The two of us will still be like this 

TRUST ME NOW I always want to be with you

So hurry to hold tight these freezing shoulders 

TRUST ME MORE I want to find what I can do

For the two of us so don't close those eyes 

TRUST ME NOW I want to continue walking with you

Because I actually love you enough to make me cry 

TRUST ME MORE I want you to firmly go on gazing

Only at the bond which links the two of us 

//_-

They were out on their balcony again. Averil had laughingly informed Quatre that it was officially theirs, so many hours of joy had been spent there together that its memories had made it theirs by right. Quatre delightedly agreed that that was only fair. 

"So does your promise still stand?" asked Averil, a constant smile on her face.

"I don't know which one you're talking about, but whichever one it is, yes it still stands," Trowa answered confidently.

"Okay, then stay," she said bluntly.

"Stay?" he asked, grinning, "For how long?"

"I'd like to say forever, but let's compromise. Stay with me for just one more week, then I command you to go back."

"You _command_ me?" he asked jokingly, a brow raised.

"Yes, I think I do need to do the rest of this on my own."

"I understand."

"I just- I was afraid to tell you that I needed you for just one more week," she admitted.

Trowa kindly replied, "I told you, all you had to do was say the word."

//_-

****

Epilogue

After Trowa went back home, Averil got down to serious business with her case against Kraten. The authorities, upon hearing the recording and knowing of its validity, almost immediately received a warrant for his arrest. Quatre assigned four Maguanacs to guard Averil and her mother in case Kraten used his connections to hurt them. The reunion of mother and daughter was long overdue. They spent a whole day catching up, and Mrs. O'Hare (her preferred name) eagerly looked forward to meeting Trowa in the future. The patterns in Kraten's accounts as well as those of the murdered jockeys proved to be very influential evidence along with the recording. However, the case still progressed slowly, as most cases do, and Averil's nerves were usually on edge. But having her mother stay with her at the estate helped immensely. 

Upon Trowa's return, he found out that his story had gone on ahead of him, thanks to his sister, and he had to spend an entire evening explaining his love life. But leave it to Trowa to explain it in as few words or details as possible so that his coworkers were still left unsatisfied. However, they planned on getting it all out of Averil as soon as she returned. Trowa also had a few words to say about the kidnapping of his sister and how everyone had allowed it to happen. Thus his coworkers avoided him for the next few days.

Trowa threw himself back into his practice, easily catching up on the weeks that he had missed, and finding it refreshing to do something so familiar to him. He did keep his promise to call Averil everyday, and she made sure that he took good care of her horse Miles, and Trowa made sure that she was being well protected by her new guards. 

The case eventually wrapped up, Kraten received a guilty verdict, and Averil, upon trying to get her mother settled down someplace, was surprised when Mrs. O'Hare refused. Mrs. O'Hare claimed that she wanted to continue on in the horse-breeding business where Mr. O'Hare had left off. Averil was delighted to hear this, but when she tried to help her mother get their house back in order, Mrs. O'Hare nearly shoved her out the door, commanding her to return to "your Trowa" immediately. Averil "meekly" obeyed.

By the time Averil returned, the performance season was over, and so Averil had three months ahead of her to perfect her horse act. The ringmaster also insisted that Averil and Trowa should have a high-wire act together, so she had that to work on, but she wasn't complaining. It just meant that she had one more fear to get over, but Trowa was there the whole time, and she trusted him, so she learned quickly. When the performance season came again, the circus was delighted to discover that the name of O'Hare had not been forgotten in the world. The circus was sold out nearly every performance, and the crowds offered great encouragement to the daughter of the kind Mr. O'Hare. Several times, Averil was approached by old friends of the family who wanted to see her and tell her what a wonderful man her father had been. Averil told Trowa that it felt like a part of her father had been given back to her through the memories of his old friends.

Eventually, Averil and Trowa married and had children who continued on in the circus business. Averil proclaimed laughingly that her children would turn out to be clowns just like their father, which they did become clowns, but not quite as stoic the type that their father was. 

And, of course, Averil's wounds healed with time, just as Trowa's wounds had after he returned from the wars. And with that healing came Averil's ability to forgive Kraten, Morgan and Boris, and the other men, from what seemed like such a long-ago time in her life. She didn't keep her past from her children, instead, she used it to teach them the truth about trust and human worth, about all the strengths that Trowa had known she possessed, and above all, Trowa and Averil taught them about love.

//_-

****

Because You Loved Me

By Diane Warren

Performed by Celine Dion

For all those times you stood by me

For all the truth that you made me see

For all the joy you brought to my life

For all the wrong that you made right

For every dream you made come true

For all the love I found in you

I'll be forever thankful baby

You're the one who held me up

Never let me fall

You're the one who saw me through, through it all

You were my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I couldn't speak

You were my eyes when I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'cause you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me baby

You gave me wings and made me fly

You touched my hand, I could touch the sky

I lost my faith, you gave it back to me

You said no star was out of reach

You stood by me and I stood tall

I had your love, I had it all

I'm grateful for each day you gave me

Maybe I don't know that much

But I know this much is true

I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I couldn't speak

You were my eyes when I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'cause you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

Oh you were always there for me

The tender wind that carried me

A light in the dark shining your love into my life

You've been my inspiration

Through the lies you were the truth

My world is a better place because of you

You were my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I couldn't speak

You were my eyes when I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'cause you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

You were my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I couldn't speak

You were my eyes when I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'cause you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

Oh I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

//_-

There is no disguise which can for long conceal love where it exists or simulate it where it does not.

-Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Love, and a cough, cannot be hid.

-George Herbert

****

Author's Notes: Okay, I have a ton of stuff to say that you can read if you're at all interested in reading more of my writing. First of all, I wrote "The Curiosity: A Character Sketch" awhile back about Averil that's short but sweet. It's posted on FanFiction.Net and Aishiteru if you're interested in reading it. Also, someone said something about writing a Quatre fic. Well, you're in luck, but you're going to have to wait awhile. The next story I'm going to work on is Duo and Hilde's story and how they ended up engaged in this story, so it actually happens before "Trust in Me." After that, I'll write Quatre and Jazmin's story, which for the most part parallels "Trust in Me" in the timeline. See, what I plan on doing is writing a story for all of the Gundam pilots, including Zechs, and maybe Lady Une—all happening after Endless Waltz. I might eventually write some Sailormoon or Cardcaptor Sakura stories if I get inspired, too. I'm open to suggestions on any of my writing, and of course I love reviews! Thanks for reading and God bless! 

The End

Began February 2002

Finished August 2002


End file.
